Farmed rabbits are among the least-regulated and most welfare-compromised farmed animals, kept in conditions that prevent nearly all natural behavior expression.
Farmed rabbits occupy an unusual position — they are widely consumed in some European countries yet exist almost entirely outside the welfare regulatory frameworks that apply to pigs, poultry, and cattle. The result is that billions of rabbits spend their entire lives in conditions that prevent running, digging, or normal social interaction — conditions that would be illegal for comparable species. Consumer awareness of farmed rabbit welfare is very low, which is one reason the issue receives little regulatory attention. Welfare-conscious consumers and advocacy organizations have an important role in building the demand signal needed to drive regulatory and market change.