Rabbits raised for meat in conventional cage systems experience significant welfare deficits, and alternative production systems present both opportunities and challenges for improving rabbit welfare.
Farmed rabbit welfare has historically received less attention than welfare in chicken, pig, or cattle production, despite the billion-scale production numbers and significant welfare deficits in conventional systems. Rabbits are biologically adapted for running, jumping, digging, and hiding — a behavioral repertoire that conventional cage production systematically prevents. The wire floor construction that is standard in conventional systems causes pododermatitis in a significant proportion of animals — a painful condition causing tissue damage and ulceration on the feet and hocks. Colony housing systems with solid floors, platforms, and enrichment provision improve behavioral welfare significantly, though they create management challenges around disease control and social aggression. The EU regulatory reform in 2023 represents progress, though the transition period is long and enforcement variable.