As conventional battery cages for farmed rabbits are phased out across Europe, enriched cage and park systems offer improved welfare, though significant challenges remain.
The transition from battery cages to enriched or park rabbit housing represents genuine welfare progress, but implementation quality matters enormously. Park systems with appropriate stocking density, adequate resource provision, and careful group management deliver substantially better welfare than conventional systems. Poorly managed park systems - overcrowded, with insufficient resources or incompatible social groups - can produce different welfare problems rather than improvements. Welfare auditing and outcome monitoring are essential to ensure the transition delivers the welfare improvements it promises.