Rabbit meat is produced by millions of animals annually, primarily in Europe and China. The welfare conditions in rabbit farming and at slaughter remain poorly regulated compared to other major farmed species.
Farmed rabbits are among the most neglected major livestock species for welfare regulation. The cage systems used for most commercial rabbits provide less space than the animal requires to perform a single hop, preventing normal locomotion, jumping and exploration. Wire flooring causes foot lesions and discomfort. The social nature of rabbits means that solitary housing causes chronic stress, yet group housing in conventional systems causes aggression and injury. Slaughter practice is inconsistently applied with stunning failures more common than in cattle or pig slaughter. The high prevalence of mucoid enteropathy - partially driven by barren, stressed conditions - indicates that the farming system itself creates disease pressure that causes suffering beyond that of housing alone.