Rabbits are Europe's third most farmed animal species, yet they have no specific EU-wide welfare legislation, leaving their protection far below that of other major farm animal species.
Farmed rabbit welfare represents one of the most significant regulatory gaps in European farm animal protection. While cattle, pigs, and laying hens have species-specific welfare legislation at EU level, rabbits are regulated only by the generic framework Directive 98/58/EC, which provides minimal protection. The barren wire cages used in most European rabbit farming deny rabbits their strong social needs, opportunity for locomotion and play, and environmental complexity that this highly active species requires. The behavioral poverty of individual wire cages is reflected in high rates of fearfulness and stereotypic behavior. Alternatives exist - park systems providing group housing with enrichment and elevated platforms - but market economics favor intensive barren systems in the absence of regulatory requirements.