Farmed rabbit welfare in Europe is governed by voluntary industry standards with significant welfare gaps compared to the needs of this highly active, social species.
Farmed rabbit welfare represents a regulatory gap in European farm animal policy. Unlike poultry and pigs, rabbits lack specific EU welfare legislation, leaving their welfare to voluntary industry standards that often perpetuate battery cage conditions. The scientific evidence for welfare harm from extreme confinement - osteoporosis, behavioral frustration, and inability to express natural movement - is unambiguous. Consumer awareness of farmed rabbit welfare is low in most markets, reducing the market pressure that has driven welfare improvements in other species. Legislative campaigns and consumer education both have important roles in driving welfare improvement for this overlooked farmed species.