This week, in line with its manifesto promise, the government has announced its new Animal Welfare Strategy, setting out plans for ‘generational reforms’ to animal welfare it hopes will help protect wild, farmed, and companion animals across the UK.
Our experts will be studying the detail of this new strategy and providing a full response in due course. In the meantime, we wanted to provide some initial thoughts on the implications for introducing a close season for hares and limiting use of snare devices.
We welcome efforts to improve welfare standards but believe the strategy must strike the right balance between improving animal welfare and allowing land managers to take proportionate measures to protect wildlife, crops, and the environment. We look forward to engaging with government and providing our expertise and scientific evidence to help achieve that balance.
Image: Laurie Campbell
Close season for hares
The government has confirmed they will be introducing a close season for hares, aiming to reduce the number of adult hares shot in the breeding season so that ‘fewer young hares are left motherless and vulnerable to starvation and predation.’
Dr Alastair Leake, GWCT director of policy, says: “Our extensive research has highlighted that the cause of brown hare decline is related to the loss of suitable habitat largely due to changes in farming practices, and predation. Basing ambitions for brown hare recovery on a closed season will be counterproductive as it will encourage pre-emptive action if there is no exemption for protecting crops.
“The fact that at certain times hares can, and do, cause limited but at times severe, crop damage is the reason there is currently no closed season. This enables farmers to protect their crops by removing the individual hare causing the problem. No farmer enjoys doing this, particularly if the individual is a female.
“Data from our National Gamebag Census and anecdotal experience is that there are fewer organised driven shoots in early February. This is partly a reflection of lower populations, the likelihood that more hares are shot with a rifle at night and earlier in the winter, and that there is not the same appetite for shotgun shooting of ground game as there used to be. Whilst we cannot categorically state that no doe shot in early February has dependent young, this is extremely unlikely and so we believe introducing a closed season without an exemption would be disproportionate and detrimental to conservation ambitions.
“We would welcome an opportunity to contribute to the discussion and achieve the best outcome for welfare and conservation.”
Ban of snare traps
News that the Government plans to progress banning the use of 'snare traps' as part of the new Animal Welfare Bill provides the opportunity for Government to clarify what they mean by 'snare traps'.
GWCT supports the ban on both the sale and use of old-style fox snares, but we urge the Government to distinguish between these devices and the modern humane fox restraint designed by GWCT scientists. These sophisticated devices, when used according to the Government-endorsed Code of Practice by trained professionals, surpass International humane trapping standards.
Dr Roger Draycott, GWCT director of advisory services, comments: “The advantage of humane fox restraints is that they can be used at times of year when species of conservation concern like curlews and lapwings are at their most vulnerable, and other methods of fox control are not viable due to tall vegetation.
“Banning these devices, as well as non code-compliant ones, would be akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water and would significantly reduce the likelihood of the government reaching its first key nature recovery target of halting the decline in biodiversity by 2030.
“We look forward to engaging with the government on this issue in 2026 - there is a potential win-win for animal welfare and nature conservation by banning both the sale and use of non-code compliant devices, and retaining the use of humane fox restraints by trained professionals and ecologists to aid nature recovery.”