Hare poaching sentencing consultation - Have your say

Following extensive campaigning by the Countryside Alliance, working closely with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and other interested organisations, the laws around poaching and specifically hare poaching were amended by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. These changes strengthened the powers of the police and courts, recognising the seriousness of the blight of hare poaching in many parts of the country.  

The Act amended the Game Act 1831 and the Night Poaching Act 1828 to increase the fines and allow for custodial sentences up to six months or both. It created two specific offences of trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs and being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs. It also increased the powers of the police to seize vehicles and enabled the recovery of police kennelling costs. The courts also now have the ability to make disqualification orders in respect of owning or keeping a dog. 

These changes have begun to have some impact on the prosecution of hare poaching offences. Research by the CLA has indicated a substantial increase in the level of fines. The CLA looked at 111 cases from before the changes and found that the average financial penalty of fines and costs was just £361.95. Since the change in the law the average fine has risen to £5941.20 (albeit only based on 22 cases so far). 

The Sentencing Council is now undertaking a public consultation on guidelines for the courts for those found guilty of hare poaching (illegal coursing). The Sentencing Council provides guidance across a wide range of offences to assist magistrates in making sentencing decisions. The guidance seeks to ensure that there is a consistency between sentencing decisions and that sentences take account of the seriousness of an offence and its impact, as well as any mitigating factors. 

The impact of hare poaching on individuals and communities is increasingly recognised and understood. However, while the Alliance will be responding, the Sentencing Council is keen to hear from those who have been victims of hare poaching, whether recently or in the past. 

If you have been affected by hare poaching, or have legal expertise, or wish to comment on any aspect of the consultation then we would urge you to do so. The consultation and how to respond can be found here. Responses can either be made via the online form or emailed to the Sentencing Council at: consultation@sentencingcouncil.gov.uk 

The consultation closes on Friday 25 April 2025.