Approximately one billion rabbits are farmed globally for meat, fur, and experimentation each year, yet rabbits receive far less welfare attention than chickens or pigs.
Wire cage confinement for farmed rabbits prevents the most basic behavioral needs including hopping, jumping, and social grooming. Rabbits in barren cages show abnormal repetitive behaviors including bar-biting and stereotypic circling. Social isolation causes stress measurable through cortisol and immune suppression. The EU mandate for group housing and enriched environments, phased in through 2030, represents meaningful improvement but covers only European production. China produces the majority of global rabbit meat with essentially no welfare regulation. Consumer awareness of rabbit welfare is extremely low despite the species being simultaneously a food animal and a popular companion pet.