Rabbit farming affects hundreds of millions of animals annually yet receives far less welfare attention than other species, with conventional battery cage systems causing severe welfare deprivation.
Farmed rabbit welfare is one of the most neglected areas of farm animal welfare relative to the number of individuals affected. Conventional wire-floored battery cages impose welfare harms across virtually every welfare domain. Physical welfare is compromised by painful wire flooring causing sore hocks, inability to perform natural locomotion including hopping and rearing, and spinal fracture risk. Psychological welfare is severely impaired by extreme confinement that prevents expression of any natural behaviour — rabbits in conventional cages cannot run, jump, forage, burrow, or engage in meaningful social interaction. The confined space and wire floors cause chronic frustration and stereotypic behaviour in a significant proportion of animals. Enriched park systems or group-housed systems that allow hopping, social behaviour, and foraging enrichment represent achievable welfare improvements. The regulatory gap in rabbit farming — with rabbits covered by general animal welfare law but lacking specific protective legislation in many jurisdictions — means improvements depend heavily on market pressure and voluntary commitment.