Farmed rabbits in conventional cage systems suffer from chronic restriction of movement, social isolation, and inability to perform natural behaviors — reform is accelerating in Europe.
Farmed rabbit welfare has received far less regulatory and consumer attention than broiler chickens or pigs, despite conditions in conventional battery cage systems being among the most severe in commercial animal agriculture. Rabbits are active, social animals whose behavioral needs — running, jumping, hiding, and social contact — are entirely suppressed in small wire cages. Park-based systems providing substantially more space and social housing are demonstrably viable; the barrier to reform has been consumer awareness and retailer commitment rather than commercial impossibility.