From Monday 1 June, courts in England and Wales now follow new guidance for sentencing one of the biggest illegal activities facing farmers across Wales; hare coursing.

Hare coursing, the illegal pursuit of hares by dogs on flat, open farmland conducted by coursers, has become an increasingly troubling threat for farmers in Wales. In some cases, the chase is filmed and livestreamed to a global audience, with large sums of money gambled on which dog will catch the animal first and other sinister challenges.

After successful operations in England, where farmers worked closely with local police services to target the criminal gangs in charge, these often violent and aggressive offenders have demonstrated a consistent willingness to travel to all ends of the UK to commit this crime. Although Welsh police services are now participating in Operation Galileo Cymru, farmers in South Wales are now being plagued by hare coursing issues. In particular is the Vale of Glamorgan where farmers who have challenged the trespassers were faced with intimidation and violence as well as destruction of their property. This is all the more serious given that these farms are not only a place of work but also a family home, leaving many feeling scared and unsafe with little feeling of respite.

The new guidelines cover four areas: trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs; being equipped for searching for or pursuing hares with dogs; trespass in the daytime in search of game; and taking or destroying game by night. These guidelines were developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales after a public consultation, which the NFU contributed to. A revision to the sentencing guidelines for theses offences, ensuring they better reflect the severity of the issues farmers are facing, is something NFU Cymru has long campaigned for.

Whilst NFU Cymru continues to make the case that South Wales Police should resource a full-time rural crime team to tackle criminal activity which explicitly targets farms and rural communities, this new guidance should act as a deterrent to those considering travelling to commit such serious crimes. To ensure the effectiveness of these new measures, they must be supported by targeted police efforts on the ground to catch those who destroy property, harm livestock, and threaten members of the farming and rural communities.