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

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with police forces and rural organisations to ensure that the powers introduced under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 are being used effectively to deter offenders of hare coursing and secure prosecutions.

Hare coursing remains a national wildlife crime priority and is one of the offences for which police forces most frequently seek support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Defra is providing £530,000 to the NWCU in 2026/27, strengthening its intelligence, data analysis and financial investigation capabilities to help disrupt criminal networks, identify illicit profits, and bring offenders to justice.

New sentencing guidelines for hare coursing came into force on 1 June 2026. These should help ensure the courts fully recognise the significant harm and intimidation this serious crime poses to wildlife, farmers, and others across rural areas.

This Government cannot confirm offending levels as hare coursing is not a ‘notifiable crime’. Hare coursing can also be ‘hidden’ under notifiable offences such as criminal damage if it has taken place as part of the same incident.