Industrial housing systems for keeping pregnant and non-pregnant breeding rabbits, with or without young, for breeding bucks and for meat rabbits.

Draft Flemish Government Decree on rabbit welfare in breeding operations

The purpose of the draft Decree is to provide standards for keeping rabbits in breeding operations. The draft is intended to lay down rules in the area of housing for rabbits kept for meat production, including special standards for keeping meat rabbits, breeding does, non-lactating does and breeding bucks.

In particular, this amends the housing standards for keeping the aforementioned animals, given in the Royal Decree of 29 June 2014, and introduces certain housing standards that are currently lacking. It also updates or introduces provisions on enriched pens, according to the category of rabbit bred.

As the Royal Decree of 29 June 2014 would no longer constitute an integral whole after this additional amendment, it was decided to rewrite the entire Decree with this draft and repeal the Royal Decree of 29 June 2014 on rabbit welfare in breeding operations.