Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the evidential basis for their policy to implement a close season for hares; and how this evidence justifies implementing a close season from 1 March to 31 July.

England is among the few European countries that doesn’t have a close season for killing hares and this Government has stated its intention to introduce one. A close season should reduce the number of adult hares shot in the breeding season, meaning fewer leverets are left motherless and vulnerable.

Evidence suggests the breeding season for hares in England runs from February to October. The plan is to use this timeframe for a close season rather than the narrower period referenced in the question. Regardless, it requires a suitable legislative vehicle for introduction. Defra is exploring every opportunity to find one.