Rabbits are slaughtered in large numbers for meat globally, with significant welfare gaps in stunning and killing methods. Rabbits are prey animals highly susceptible to fear and stress.
Rabbit slaughter welfare is compromised by both regulatory gaps and the fundamental biology of the rabbit. As an obligate prey species, rabbits are exquisitely sensitive to handling, restraint, and unfamiliar environments — the slaughterhouse process is intrinsically threatening. Even with stunning requirements in place, effective electrical stunning of rabbits requires precise electrode placement and adequate current that is difficult to achieve consistently at line speeds. Unstunned slaughter, still common in some markets and religious exemption contexts, involves throat-cutting in conscious animals — causing a prolonged, terrifying death. Better rabbit slaughter welfare requires mandatory stunning with proper parameters, monitoring and audit systems, and slower line speeds that allow proper stun application.