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| Farmed
Rabbits
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Disease : Transport & Slaughter
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Farmed rabbits are primarily kept for their meat with Angora rabbits
being bred for their wool. In 2007 over 3 million farmed rabbits and game
birds were slaughtered (the figures for these are combined under the charging
regulations and are not collected separately) (1).
Between
50-60% of the world’s
rabbit meat supply is produced via commercial rabbit farms (2). The
UK produces around 2-3 thousand tonnes
of rabbit meat per year, and it imports 5 thousand tonnes (mostly from
China, Hungary and Poland) (3).
photo: British Giant rescued from UK Meat Farm |
Farmed
Rabbit Production & Welfare
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| The wild rabbit, Oryctolagus
cuniculus, is a social, colony
animal which lives in burrows. As herbivores, their digestive systems are
adapted for digestion of large quantities of forage. The breeds of rabbits
most commonly used for meat production are New Zealand Whites, The California,
Commercial White and hybrids. Rabbit meat has a high protein and low fat
content.
Commercial rabbit farms vary in size from units with over 200 breeding
does, a large farm can hold up to 12,000 breeding does (2). Most farms
usually breed and fatten all their own rabbits and then send them to
specialist packing centres, where they are killed and their carcasses
marketed (4).
Males are sexually mature around 4 months of age and females 5 months
depending upon the breed of rabbit. Commercially, most breeding occurs
by placing the female (doe) in with the male (buck). Artificial Insemination
(AI) is not regularly used due to the high labour requirements involved.
Females gestate for around 1 month and can produce 4 to 6 litters each
year which consist of about 4 to 7 young (kits). Naturally, rabbits would
give birth in nests which they have lined with fur plucked from their
chests. Commercially, nursing mothers should be provided with a nesting
box which should be large enough for the doe to get in and out of to
feed her young without injuring them (5). The nest boxes used in farms
do not allow nest site protection in the same way as in nature. This,
alongside the confined space causes the doe to visit the nest more than
the one time each day she would naturally to feed her kits. These repeated
visits to the nest therefore increase the risk of the kits being stood
on and crushed by the doe (2).
The natural weaning of kits is between 6 to 8 weeks, in commercial units
however young are removed from their mothers at 4 weeks old. The normal
profitable breeding life of does is around 3 years of age and rabbits
can breed all year round (4). Does are usually re-mated when their young
are 3 weeks old, however some farmers re-mate when kits are 2 weeks old
allowing them to produce a greater number of litters (7 to 8) per annum.
Farms usually feed rabbits on pellets made up of cereal, grass and high
protein, such as fishmeal/soya bean meal, with a mineral and vitamin
supplement (4). Farmers are required to provide an environment for rabbits
which avoids heat stress and draughts, whilst allowing adequate ventilation
with sufficient fresh air so as to prevent the accumulation of gases
(such as ammonia) and dust (5). Their environment should be well lit
utilizing natural light (lighting is used to control sexual activity)
and all rabbits should be able to be clearly seen during hours of daylight.
There should also be a period of darkness in each 24 hour cycle (5).
Accommodation should be designed and maintained so as to avoid injury
or distress to the rabbits.
Most rabbits on commercial farms are kept in mesh cages with automatic
food and water feeders, the cages are stacked in 2 or 3 tiers to utilise
building space. The floor area of these cages must be large enough to
allow rabbits to lie down comfortably, move around and eat and drink
without any difficulty. The height should be enough to allow the rabbits
to sit upright on all four feet without having their ears touching the
top of the hutch or cage (5, 6).
Recommended space allowances for farmed
rabbits (5):
| |
Minimum
floor space |
| System |
in cages |
in hutches |
| Doe
and litter to 5 weeks of age |
0.56
m2 total area |
0.75
m2 total area |
| Doe
and litter to 8 weeks of age |
0.74
m2 total area |
0.93
m2 total area |
| Rabbits
5 to 12 weeks of age |
0.07
m2 per rabbit |
0.009
m2 per rabbit |
| Rabbits
12 weeks and over (other than those used for breeding) (multiple
occupation cages) |
0.18
m2 per rabbit |
n/a |
| Adult
does and bucks for breeding |
0.56
m2 per rabbit |
0.75
m2 per rabbit |
The
most common method of identification of farmed rabbits is to tattoo an
individual
number
in the ear. Marking should only be carried out by
competent operators and care should be taken to avoid unnecessary pain
or distress to the rabbits (5). Stockpersons are required to periodically
shorten the toenails of adult rabbits to avoid overgrown nails catching
on cage floors. As rabbits’ teeth grow constantly, if they are
unable to wear them down, their incisors (front teeth) become overgrown.
This can seriously interfere with feeding and drinking and cause damage
to their lips/mouth. Where tooth-trimming is necessary it should be performed
by a veterinary surgeon or trained operator (5). The clipping of front
teeth is no longer recommended as it places extreme forces on the tooth
which compresses the sensitive pulp further up the tooth and sending
a shock wave through the skull. Alongside causing pain, it can also shatter
the tooth roots leading to infection (7).
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| Wool Production |
| Farmers keep rabbits primarily for their meat due to the
low value of their skins, making pelt production alone uneconomic (4).
There are only a small number of wool producers in the UK as Angora rabbit
management is a labour intensive industry. Farmers need to cage animals
individually to avoid damage to their wool and the does are not deemed
very productive, producing only an average of 24 young per year. The average
wool yield of English Angora is 200-400 grams/year. The normal practice
for harvesting the wool is shearing, this happens four times a year and
provides a fibre of 5-6 cm. The largest angora fibre producer is China.
(4, 3). |
| Disease |
Rabbits can suffer from a large range of welfare problems
and disease, these include fatal viruses, snuffles and sore hocks from
sitting on wire mesh cage floors.
Myxomatosis
This serious viral disease affects only rabbits and is caused by
the myxoma virus. The virus is spread mainly by biting insects
but can
be passed on directly to other rabbits which are in very close proximity.
The first clinical sign is conjunctivitis (‘red eye’) with
a runny discharge alongside swollen lips, nose, ears and eyes/eyelids
causing blindness. The rabbit may appear listless with a loss of appetite
and developing a high fever. It can take up to a fortnight for an infected
rabbit to die and as treatment doesn’t always work euthanasia
is usually recommended. This disease is present in the UK and throughout
Europe and Australia. There is a vaccine to protect against myxomatosis
and meat producers should seek veterinary advice on its use. (4,
5, 7)
Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD)
This virus, caused by calicivirus, affects only rabbits and was first
reported in the UK in 1992. The disease appears mostly in adults but
may affect rabbits over 8 weeks of age. The clinical symptoms are depression,
loss of appetite, respiratory distress, lack of coordination, a blood-stained
mucus discharge and death occurring within one to two days. The virus
is spread through a number of means, such as by direct contact with
food (e.g. hay) or water contaminated by infected wild rabbits, bird
droppings or direct contact from another rabbit. There is a vaccine
to protect against VHD and meat producers should seek veterinary advice
on its use. (4, 7).
Coccidiosis
This is a protozoal parasitic infection from the intestinal tract of
animals. The species of coccidia found in rabbits are species specific
and should not infect humans. In young rabbits this causes diarrhoea
and sudden death. (7,
4).
Hyperthermia
Naturally when it is warm/hot, rabbits would move into their burrow to
keep cool. However, this is not possible in rabbit farms making them
more susceptible. The stockperson(s) should keep a close watch for
any signs of heat stress in the rabbits (2).
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| Transport & Slaughter |
| Rabbits are usually transported in batches of 10 and they
should not be confined for more than 8 hours due to not having any access
to food and water. Naturally, rabbits can live up to around 9 years of
age. Depending upon the size of the breed, rabbits are slaughtered for
their meat from around 3 to 4 months of age. Those used for breeding are
culled at 3 years of age as their ability to produce offspring deteriorates.
In 2007 over 3 million farmed rabbits and game birds were slaughtered,
(the figures for these are combined under the charging regulations and
are not collected separately). (1).
Rabbits may be killed by dislocation
of the neck or administering a heavy blow to the back of their head
followed by decapitation of the
animal. Operators should ensure that the blow kills the rabbit outright
and not just stun it. Rabbits may also be killed by electrical stunning
after which their throat is cut and the animal dies by bleeding to death
(4). Rabbits are usually stunned by applying an electric current to their
heads via a wall mounted ‘V’ shaped electrode. From studies
carried out by Anil et al (8, 9), they found that for electrical stunning
in rabbits to be effective a minimum voltage of 100 volts must be applied
to provide instantaneous stunning of the animal. Stunning should provide
a long enough period of insensibility for operators to ‘stick’ (cutting
the throat) the animal in good time before they regain consciousness.
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| References & Useful
Links |
| 1. Meat Hygiene Service.
2. Gregory, N.G. 2007 (2nd Edition). Animal Welfare & Meat Production.
3. Scottish Agricultural College www.sac.ac.uk
4. Ewbank, R., Kim-Madslien, F. and Hart, C.B. (Editors). 1999. 4th
Edition. Management and Welfare of Farm Animals. Universities Federation
for Animal Welfare (UFAW).
5. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. www.defra.gov.uk/
6. The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000
7. Owen Davies BVSc MRCVS and Dr Linda Dykes. 1998. Revised March 2002
by Linda Dykes. Dental Problems in Rabbits. Rabbit Welfare Association
Fund.
8. Anil, M.H., Raj, A.B.M. and McKinstry, J.L. 1998. Electrical Stunning
in Commercial Rabbits: Effective Currents, Spontaneous Physical Activity
and Reflex Behaviour. Meat Science. Vol 48: p21-28.
9. Anil, M.H., Raj, A.B.M. and McKinstry, J.L. 2000. Evaluation of electrical
stunning in commercial rabbits: effect on brain function. Meat Science.
Vol 54: p217-220.
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Further
Information -
Any questions regarding this information sheet please contact Gilly
Prime - Information and Research Officer gilly@vegsoc.org
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