Rabbits are among the most intensively farmed yet least regulated farm animals globally, with cage production systems that prevent natural behaviour causing significant welfare problems across the 1.2 billion rabbits farmed annually.
Farmed rabbit welfare has historically been neglected relative to poultry and pigs despite rabbits sharing many of the same welfare vulnerabilities: extreme confinement, inability to express natural behaviours, high disease pressure, and rapid growth genetics that compromise health. Rabbits in standard cage systems cannot jump, run, or hide — behaviours that are fundamental to their welfare as prey animals with acute needs for environmental complexity and security. The welfare case for cage-free rabbit production is strong, and park systems that allow these behaviours show measurable improvements across welfare indicators. Consumer awareness of rabbit farming conditions remains low, making education a priority alongside policy change.