Rabbits are the third most farmed mammal in Europe but receive the least legal welfare protection — reform campaigns are pushing for enriched housing standards.
Farmed rabbits represent a significant welfare gap in European food animal legislation. Despite being farmed at enormous scale, they lack the specific welfare regulations that govern poultry, pig, and cattle production. Standard wire cage systems prevent jumping — one of the strongest locomotor motivations in rabbits — cause significant musculoskeletal problems, and provide no hiding or elevated resting areas that rabbits are strongly motivated to use. The high mortality rates from respiratory disease in commercial rabbitries reflect the immune-suppressing effects of chronic stress and poor air quality. Enriched park housing systems that allow natural behavior expression have been developed commercially in France, Spain, and Italy, demonstrating that reform is economically feasible.