Rabbits are the third most farmed animal in Europe yet among the least regulated. Their complex ethological needs are severely compromised in conventional cage systems, driving significant welfare reform efforts.
Rabbits have some of the most frustrated ethological needs of any farmed species. Their natural behaviour includes high-speed locomotion, complex social structures, burrow digging, and constant vigilance as prey animals. Wire cage floors cause pododermatitis (sore hocks), and barren environments with no retreat options maintain rabbits in a state of chronic low-grade stress. Group housing in enriched parks substantially improves welfare outcomes — reduced stereotypies, lower corticosterone, higher play frequency — but requires careful management to prevent aggression and disease spread. Nest box provision for does significantly reduces kit mortality and maternal stress. Stunning before slaughter using electrical methods is more reliable than carbon dioxide and is required under high-welfare certification schemes. The farmed rabbit sector is slowly transitioning, but welfare improvements lag far behind other species due to lower consumer visibility.