Rabbits are among the most farmed but least regulated food animals in Europe and beyond, with production systems that frequently cause severe welfare compromises.
Farmed rabbit welfare represents a significant gap in animal welfare regulation and public attention. The industry is large — hundreds of millions of animals — but operates largely out of public view, with few welfare certification schemes and minimal regulatory oversight. Rabbits are sensitive, stress-prone animals whose welfare in wire mesh cages is objectively poor: the inability to hop, rear, hide, or engage in natural social behaviors causes behavioral frustration measurable through stereotypic behaviors and abnormal repetitive gnawing of cage bars. Park systems — group housing with solid flooring, hiding structures, elevated platforms, and foraging substrate — demonstrate that commercially viable rabbit production is possible with vastly better welfare outcomes. The welfare reform movement for farmed rabbits is smaller than for other species but has achieved some corporate and legislative progress in Europe. Consumer awareness of rabbit farming conditions is low — most people who eat rabbit have no idea about production conditions.