Farmed rabbits are among the most intensively confined farm animals with poor welfare conditions, yet receive far less regulatory attention than pigs, poultry, or cattle.
Farmed rabbits occupy an unfortunate welfare position: farmed in enormous numbers under often the worst conditions of any farm animal, yet subject to the least regulatory attention and public awareness. Wire battery cages prevent rabbits from performing any species-typical behaviors. The movement to enriched colony housing for farmed rabbits parallels reforms in the laying hen sector, with similar resistance from producers citing cost. Consumer pressure, as with eggs, may be the most powerful lever for change.