Farmed rabbits represent one of the least regulated and most welfare-compromised livestock sectors, with approximately one billion rabbits slaughtered annually in conditions that have faced little consumer or regulatory scrutiny.
Farmed rabbit welfare is compromised by conventional cage systems that restrict movement, prevent social expression, and deny natural substrate behaviours. Rabbits are prey animals with strong motivation to hide in burrows and move rapidly; cage confinement prevents all of these. Myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreaks cause suffering that can affect entire populations rapidly. The lack of robust EU or UK welfare regulations specific to farmed rabbits means that even basic standards applied to poultry and pigs are not legally required.