 |
| EF2 - This bird-seed mixture of kale, triticale and quinoa provides food for hares in summer and cover in winter. |
 |
| EE1-6 - Buffer strips can be used and are good on both arable and livestock farms. On arable land wide strips can be half mown to provide some grazing as well as cover. |
 |
| EG5 - A brassica fodder crop like stubble turnip provides food and cover for hares in autumn on mixed farms. |
Many farms have enough hares and will not want to encourage them further. These are often farms on light arable land and many have gamekeepers who keep fox numbers in check. On these areas there is no need to take special measures to conserve hare stocks.
Where hares are scarce, the new English Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) scheme can be used to improve their chances.
Arable farms
Any scarcity of hares on arable farms is usually caused by lack of summer grazing exacerbated by fox predation. In summer, mature crops force hares and leverets out to the field boundaries and track sides where they forage for herbs and grasses, but where they are easy for a patrolling fox to find and pick off.
On these farms, ELS options should aim to improve summer grazing across the farm. Special sowings of bird seed mixes (EF2 or, on set-aside land, EF3) suit this purpose well. Spring sown, they will be short in early summer and contain a variety of annual weeds. Good mixtures are kale, triticale and quinoa, or linseed, triticale and millet. On light land EF11 (six metre uncropped, cultivated field margins) are a good option, as are EF10 (conservation headlands without fertiliser). These require no special sowings. Grass buffer strips (EE1-3) are popular with farmers, but the best of these is the six metre strip (EF3) where three metres are cut annually.
Livestock farms
Hares are often very scarce or absent on livestock farms, but this is not usually due to lack of food. Mostly it is caused by high mortality. Frequent grass cutting and exposure to predators like foxes and buzzards can mean that very few leverets survive their first few weeks. The main aim, therefore, is to provide cover where hares can hide. The best ELS option for this is EK1 (unmanaged field corners). These areas are ungrazed, unfertilised and only cut every five years. They make ideal patches of cover for hares and perfect places for leverets to hide. Make the patches as big as possible under the rules. Using these patches adjacent to low and very low input grass (options EK2 and EK3) is a good idea. Buffer strips (EE4-6) of unmown and unfertilised grass is a good cover option for hares on intensively managed grass.
Mixed farms
Some ELS options are designed to encourage mixed farming and will suit hares. Mixed farms in general are good for hares. EG1 (undersown spring cereal) re-creates part of the ley rotation and is perfect for hares. Stubble turnips (EG5) are also an excellent crop for this species in the late summer or autumn.
Stewardship in Wales - Tir Cynnal
ELS in Wales operates differently from England as payments are graded according to the size of the farm, and the farmer must ensure that 5% or more of his land consists of wildlife habitat. Where a farm's wildlife habitat falls below this, new habitats can be created from a range of options. Where livestock grazing predominates, the best options for hares are ones that provide cover and new growth, thus wild bird cover crops and unsprayed root crops are good choices in most areas. For all-grass farms, reverting some of the improved grass back to unimproved by stopping fertiliser is a good idea.
Scotland - the Rural Stewardship Scheme
In Scotland environmental stewardship is discretionary, but plans that support Biodiversity Action Plan species and habitats, or protect designated sites get more points and higher priority. Many of the options available in England and Wales are available in Scotland too. It is best to get professional advice before applying for Rural Stewardship.
