Today marks an incredibly positive step forward for Europe’s farmed rabbits. MEPs have voted in favour of species-specific legislation in today’s plenary vote.
A recent You Gov poll* showed that 78% of UK adults would support European-wide legislation to phase out the use of cages in rabbits farmed for meat, and the views of MEPs appear to be in line with members of the public.
In January, members of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee voted in favour of a report that set out key improvements for rabbit welfare. This report had the potential to pave the way for the protection of over 320 million** farmed rabbits across the EU. However, the amendment that included species-specific legislation for rabbits did not pass at that stage.
We are delighted to share the news that MEPs voted in favour of the report. The report calls for the phasing out of cages and will secure the protection and improvement of rabbits farmed for meat. Furthermore, we are happy to report that the amendment calling for species-specific legislation was also voted for.
Animal Ethics Project 