Rabbits are farmed for meat primarily in Southern Europe in conditions that are increasingly subject to welfare scrutiny and reform. Understanding their needs informs purchasing decisions.
Farmed rabbit welfare in conventional systems is poor. Wire floored cages prevent all natural locomotion — rabbits cannot run, binky, or perform the activity bursts that are central to their behavioural repertoire. Social isolation or forced pairing creates aggression. The absence of hiding places causes chronic stress in a prey species that is highly motivated to conceal itself. Welfare outcomes in conventional systems include elevated stress hormones, high disease susceptibility, and mortality from respiratory disease exacerbated by poor air quality in high-density facilities. Enriched systems with larger group housing, platforms, and hiding opportunities significantly improve welfare metrics but are not yet mainstream in European rabbit farming.