Published 16/03/2016

Over 600,000 people have signed a petition calling for an end to farming rabbits in cages. The petition, which has been supported by celebrities such as Peter Egan, Romesh Ranganathan and Kate Nash, was handed to the EU Council in Brussels on the 17th May.

Highlighting the disconnect between much-loved cultural icons such as Bugs Bunny and the way we treat rabbits raised for food across the EU, a herd of 50 giant rabbits, led by Compassion in World Farming, presented the petition to demand an end to the cruel and outdated practice of caged rabbit farming.

James West, Senior Campaign Manager at Compassion in World Farming, said: “Our fond childhood memories of Peter Rabbit and Bugs Bunny are at complete odds with the real lives of rabbits in the EU – crammed into filthy wire-mesh cages, pumped with antibiotics, with no sunlight or fresh air.”

The facts do not paint a pretty picture:

• In the EU, 99% of rabbits are farmed in cages
• Compassion’s 2014 investigation uncovered the horrific conditions that more than 330 million rabbits are being kept in
• Rabbits are the second most farmed animal in the EU
• There are no species-specific EU laws to protect rabbits
• Rabbits are born in cages and spend 80 miserable days there before being sent to slaughter
• Female breeding rabbits are kept in solitary confinement for two years

Affirming the need for urgent action, Olga Kikou, Compassion’s European Affairs Manager, said: “It’s time for the Commission to sit up and take notice that people will not stand for such cruelty and suffering to go on behind closed doors any longer.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Author of family favourite ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ lent her talent to support the campaign by creating specially-made drawings which can be viewed and downloaded here.