Farmed rabbit welfare is governed by species-specific EU recommendations but lacks binding legislation. EU legislative reform has been proposed to address the welfare gaps in commercial rabbit production.
Farmed rabbit welfare has lagged behind other species in EU animal welfare legislation. The bare wire battery cage system used for most commercial rabbits causes multiple welfare harms simultaneously: wire flooring causes chronic foot lesions and pain; bare environment denies all natural behaviour including gnawing, hiding, and elevated resting; high stocking densities cause thermal stress and disease transmission. Enriched systems including elevated platforms, hiding tubes, and gnawing blocks significantly improve welfare at modest additional cost. The relatively small size and low value per individual rabbit means that welfare improvements with any unit cost are commercially challenging to implement without regulatory level playing fields. Legislative binding standards would create the conditions under which welfare-positive system changes become commercially viable across the sector.