Rabbits: The EU's Second-Most-Farmed Animal — And Almost No One Knows
Farms
Battery Cages You Haven't Heard About
Rabbits are the second-most-farmed land animal in the European Union after chickens. China, Italy, Spain and France account for the bulk of global production. The overwhelming majority spend their lives in stacked wire-mesh battery cages identical in concept to those used for laying hens — with the same welfare consequences and even less public scrutiny.
An adult rabbit confined to a battery cage cannot hop, stand upright on her hind legs, or stretch. Foot lesions, spinal deformities and stereotypic bar-biting are routine. Mortality before slaughter often exceeds 20%.
Rabbits are also among the most heavily-used animals in cosmetics testing — the Draize eye-irritancy test was developed on rabbits in the 1940s and is still performed today in markets that have not yet banned animal cosmetics testing.
In 2017, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly (410–205) to phase out cage rabbit farming. Seven years later, implementation has stalled — over 90% of EU rabbits are still caged, and enforcement is patchy. Rabbits remain the great blind spot of European farm-animal welfare law.
Cosmetics
Testing on Animals Is Still Happening
The EU, India, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Mexico and several US states have banned cosmetics animal testing. China — historically a major holdout — has begun accepting non-animal data for most products.
But many ingredients are still tested elsewhere, and 'cruelty-free' labelling is not legally regulated in most countries. Look for Leaping Bunny certification, which audits the full supply chain.
The Draize test itself — dripping test substances into a restrained rabbit's eyes and scoring the damage — has documented replacement methods (EpiOcular, HET-CAM) approved by the OECD since 2015. Any lab still using it is doing so by choice, not necessity.
We don't need new arguments to act differently. We need new defaults.
Angora
The Fur Industry You Might Own Already
Angora wool comes from long-haired rabbit breeds. Undercover footage from 2013 and subsequent investigations show that on the vast majority of Chinese farms — which produce ~90% of world angora — rabbits are restrained on a board and their fur is torn out by hand every three months, an operation the rabbits scream through audibly.
H&M, Zara, Gap, Uniqlo, Marks & Spencer, Tommy Hilfiger and many others dropped angora after the footage; some have since quietly reintroduced it. If a garment lists angora and doesn't give a country of origin, assume the standard supply chain.
Pet rabbits
The Companion Animal We Treat Worst
Rabbits are the third-most-relinquished pet in Western shelters. They are routinely sold as 'starter pets' for children, despite needing 10+ years of complex care, social companionship, and several hours a day of free-roaming exercise.
If you live with rabbits, the House Rabbit Society's guidance is the gold standard: pairs (not solitary), free-roam (not cages), and a hay-based diet (not pellets-only).
Never buy rabbits at Easter. Shelters across Europe and North America report a predictable spring surge of surrendered, injured or abandoned rabbits every year, most of them impulse purchases for children. Adopt from a rescue; foster before adopting to check compatibility.
Rabbits
Key takeaways
Rabbits are the forgotten billion
The EU's second-most-farmed animal has almost no dedicated welfare legislation, and campaigns rarely feature them.
'Cruelty-free' isn't regulated
Only Leaping Bunny audits the entire supply chain; 'not tested on animals' on a bottle in most countries is legally meaningless.
Angora is the fur most people own by accident
Check labels — if angora is listed with no country of origin, the standard live-plucking supply chain is the default assumption.
Companion rabbits need pairs and freedom
The three biggest welfare fixes for pet rabbits are: adopt in pairs, free-roam not cage, hay-based diet.
Rabbits
Try one plant-based week.
In 2017, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly (410–205) to phase out cage rabbit farming. Seven years later, implementation has stalled — over 90% of EU rabbits are still caged, and enforcement is patchy. Rabbits remain the great blind spot of European farm-animal welfare law.
Sources & further reading
- EFSA Scientific Opinion on the health and welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems (2020) — The European scientific case for phasing out rabbit cages.
- European Parliament resolution on minimum standards for rabbit farming (2017) — The 410–205 vote referenced above.
- PETA / Compassion in World Farming angora investigations (2013, updated 2019) — Live-plucking documentation.
- House Rabbit Society care guides — Gold-standard companion-rabbit welfare guidance.
- OECD test guidelines for eye and skin irritation (TG 492, 439) — Approved non-animal replacements for the Draize test.
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