Farmed rabbits are one of the least welfare-protected farm animals globally, commonly kept in barren wire cages that prevent almost all natural behaviour expression.
Farmed rabbit welfare represents one of the largest gaps in farm animal welfare policy. Billions of rabbits are produced in conditions that violate basic welfare needs across every domain — space, social contact, substrate, and behavioural expression. Unlike chickens and pigs, farmed rabbits have received minimal regulatory attention in most countries. The welfare costs are enormous in scale and severity. Consumer awareness and the increasing adoption of enriched group-housing systems in progressive markets offer the most available levers for improvement.