Party for the Animals demands European action against cruel rabbit industry
Europe must combat the abuse in the rabbit industry as soon as possible.Party for the Animals MEP Anja Hazekamp pleaded for this cause in a meeting with the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.
Anja Hazekamp, MEP for the Party for the Animals.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently confirmed that keeping rabbits leads to major welfare problems: rabbits suffer from wounds and skin problems, lack of food and water, stress due to heat and cold, too little room to move and no opportunities to rest. Animal suffering is the most serious in conventional cages, but there are also major welfare problems in alternative caging systems.
Recent pictures from animal rights organization Animal Rights - taken in the Netherlands - also confirm that the current situation is untenable. "Rabbits are, after chickens, the most commonly kept species for meat production in Europe. Even though rabbits are totally unsuitable to be kept in a closed agricultural system. Brussels must take these findings seriously and put an end to this rabbit industry", according to Hazekamp.