Proposed EU legislation detrimental to rabbit rearers in smaller EU states - Sant

Maltese MEP Alfred Sant told the European Parliament that the proposed EU legislation on rabbit rearing in EU member states is detrimental to rabbit rearers in the smaller EU member states.

Dr Sant said that binding rabbit breeding operators in the EU small member states to follow new regulations while submitting them to new controls would decrease their competitiveness. It is unacceptable to place these small-scale operations in such a situation.

Rabbit breeders in small EU member states are already experiencing market spasmodic shrinkages as well as unfair competition, including from non-EU sources. “Given that from a health perspective the consumption of rabbit meat is to be recommended, rather than consider further regulation of the small-scale sector, what we need are new measures, national and European, to promote their activities,” said Dr Sant when explaining his reservations before voting in favour of the motion ‘Minimum Standards for the protection of farm rabbits’.

The motion authorises the European Commission to draft legislation setting out minimum standards for the protection of farm rabbits. This could be the first step towards banning cagefarming of rabbits, as the report is calling for the practice to go the same way as battery hen production.

“My vote for this resolution basically underlines my agreement with all measures that would enhance the welfare and living conditions of rabbits being reared commercially for their meat. However, it is subject to the reservation that I disagree completely that there should be common European legislation to regulate the commercial rearing of rabbits. Experience in other sectors has shown that such regulation ends up reinforcing the commercial advantage of larger scale enterprises to the detriment of smaller units. Especially in the smaller member states, many of the smaller units are traditionally run on a family basis. Their operations follow inherited practices. The markets they service are basically families living in the neighbourhood of the farm.”

Rabbits are the fourth most farmed animal in the world, with an estimated 340 million rabbits slaughtered annually in the EU.