Transitioning farmed rabbits from wire cages to park systems with organic substrate and social housing represents a major welfare improvement currently underway in European production systems.
The welfare contrast between wire cage and park rabbit housing is among the most dramatic in food animal production. Wire cages prevent all species-appropriate locomotion — rabbits cannot run, jump, or burrow in spaces that prevent them from fully extending their bodies. The physical consequences include osteoporosis from lack of load-bearing activity and foot lesions from wire contact. Park systems that provide adequate space for natural locomotion, substrate for digging behavior, and social grouping produce rabbits with measurably better welfare indicators on every metric. The transition challenges include higher technical demands in disease management and the capital costs of system conversion. Producer support programs addressing the transition costs are essential to achieving widespread adoption of welfare-positive systems.