Rabbit meat production, largest in Europe and China, involves intensive housing systems that impose significant welfare constraints on these social animals.
Farmed rabbits in wire cage systems suffer from profound behavioral restriction. Unable to run, jump, or binky, they develop muscle atrophy and stereotypic behaviors. Social isolation in a social species causes psychological distress. Wire floors cause hock sores from pressure on delicate skin. The scale of production involving a billion individuals annually means the aggregate welfare burden is enormous. Enriched park systems providing group housing and platforms represent a meaningful improvement.