Rabbit farming raises significant welfare concerns around conventional cage housing, social needs and pre-slaughter handling that alternatives and reforms are beginning to address.
Farmed rabbit welfare is a largely invisible issue despite the scale of rabbit meat production. Conventional cage systems deny rabbits their most basic behavioural needs — movement, jumping, social contact and environmental complexity. Transitional park systems that allow more movement and social housing represent meaningful improvement. The EU regulatory transition toward park systems, while far from perfect, demonstrates that welfare-motivated regulatory change in rabbit farming is achievable. Pre-slaughter handling remains a welfare concern requiring dedicated attention to rabbit-specific sensitivity.