The UK’s leading rabbit welfare organisation, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund is demanding changes in legislation to require rabbit breeders to be licensed in the same way that certain dog breeders currently are, and to tighten up the existing legislation relating to the sale of pets to make it a requirement that purchasers know the sex of the animal they are buying – and that the sex of the animal sold is correct. The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund hopes these changes in legislation will improve the lives of rabbits being bred and will reduce the number of rabbits being abandoned, dumped, or surrendered to rescue centres.

The relevant legislation is the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the “2018 Regulations”). Under the 2018 Regulations, people who breed three or more litters of puppies in any 12-month period, or who breed dogs and advertise a business of selling dogs, are currently required to be licensed as these are “licensable activities”[1]. The 2018 Regulations, among other things, also make such dog breeders subject to inspections by the local authorities, and require them to meet certain standards of care in respect of the dogs they are breeding.

Currently there is no such legislation relating to rabbit breeding in England. Unless the breeding qualifies as being done in the “course of a business”, anyone is legally allowed to start breeding rabbits and then sell the offspring – which can result in uneducated and inexperienced rabbit owners having multiple litters that they can’t look after or sell-on to responsible pet owners. And incredibly, there is no requirement to correctly sex the rabbits sold, which can lead to yet more unwanted litters.[2]

The lack of rabbit-specific legislation the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund  is concerned that due to the lack of rabbit-specific legislation not all rabbit breeders are licenced. This means they are not subject to inspections, and do not have to meet any standards of care in respect of the rabbits they are breeding or breeding from. One result of this is that babies are being mis-sexed and sold, meaning unsuspecting owners are being faced with accidental litters, which can result in rabbits being dumped and our rescue centres becoming over-run. In addition, we are aware that babies are often sold with no proper home checks done in respect of their new homes, or care information being provided to prospective owners.

Legally, pet shops must be licensed, which ensures that certain standards are met for the animals they are selling. Unfortunately, a licence is not needed if a person is breeding and selling rabbits online. This has become a boom area and is causing huge problems.

The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund welfare team is witnessing an unprecedented rise in abandoned and mistreated rabbits, with an alarming increase in the number of rabbits for sale online.

In November 2022, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund launched its 'Breeding Amnesty' campaign where it called for an immediate pause by breeders to stop breeding, and for retailers, classified advert sites and resale sites to stop selling rabbits - as rescue centres across the UK are struggling to cope with the level of abandoned rabbits.

With the proposed changes in legislation, the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund believes there would be an immediate improvement in the welfare of rabbits being sold and a drop in the number of rabbits being abandoned, dumped or surrendered to rescue centres.

The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund and its team of veterinary advisers are calling for Government action to curb this growing rabbit welfare crisis and are urging the UK’s pet lovers to sign this petition and demand action.

In essence the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund is calling for two changes to the current legislation, being the 2018 Regulations: (i) for the breeding of rabbits to be made a licensable activity (as the breeding of dogs currently is); and (ii) amendments to the legislation governing the sales of animals so as to require purchasers to be told the sex of the animal they are buying, and for the sex of the animals being sold to be correct. These are explained in further detail below.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the “2018 Regulations”)

Amendment one: Amending the 2018 Regulations to make the breeding of rabbits a licensable activity.

Schedule 1, paragraph 8 and Schedule 6 – breeding dogs. The legislation currently states that a licence is required for:

Either or both of the following—

(a) breeding three or more litters of puppies in any 12-month period;

(b) breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs.

These are “licensable activities” and, as such, breeders must comply with the “General conditions” in Schedule 2 of the 2018 Regulations (which include providing a suitable environment and suitable diet for the dogs they are breeding) and any relevant “Specific conditions”. The relevant specific conditions are set out in Schedule 6. These include provisions relating to advertisements and sales, dogs having a suitable environment and dogs being provided with toys or feeding enrichment (Sch. 6 paras 1-4).

We want the breeding of rabbits to also be made a licensable activity and we want a Schedule containing specific conditions to be added to offer the protection for rabbits that Schedule 6 gives dogs. This would mean, among other things, that rabbit breeders would have to be licensed, would be subject to inspections, and it would put some checks in place to ensure that the rabbits used for breeding, and those rabbits that are bred, are:

·       kept in suitable accommodation;

·       given a suitable diet;

·       provided with toys or feeding enrichment (or both); and

·       protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

Legislation like this already exists in Scotland and we would like to see England, in the first instance, do the same.[3]

Amendment two: amending Schedule 3, paragraph 3(5) of the 2018 Regulations to make it a requirement that purchasers know the sex of the animal they are buying – and that the sex of the animal sold is correct.

Schedule 3 paragraph 3(5) currently states:
The licence holder and all staff must ensure that the purchaser is informed of the country of origin of the animal and the species, and where known, the age, sex and veterinary record of the animal being sold.

We want to see this provision tightened up to make it a requirement that purchasers must be told the sex of the animal they are buying, and that the sex of animals sold must be correct, to prevent, amongst other issues, accidental litters.

Rae Walters, Director of the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund said: “Animal welfare legislation is an important step in decreasing animal suffering, and it gives a legal duty of care to those responsible for animals to house and manage them properly or at least to a minimum acceptable standard. 

“I urge all pet lovers to stand with us and sign our petition to improve the welfare of rabbits.”

[1] Schedule 1 para.8.

[2] Schedule 1 para.1, para.2 and Sch.3, para.3.

[3] See the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.