Limitations of intensive meat rabbit production in North America: A review

Abstract

This paper documents underlying causes for the poor track record of the commercial meat rabbit industry in North America, relative to the success of several other species (cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys). For over half a century, efforts have been ongoing to develop a viable commercial meat rabbit industry. The progress has not been significant; rather, an accumulation of serious obstacles has targeted the species (e.g., high labor demand, no tradition of rabbit meat consumption, and nutritional limitations and behavioral constraints). Critical biological behaviors associated with the doe rabbit [e.g., short gestation and (or) underdeveloped neonates, cannibalism, territorialism, and pseudo-pregnancy] require that does be permanently placed into individual cages. These behaviors underpin the inability of management to offset labor by employing cost-effective automated feeding and management systems. As a consequence, labor costs per rabbit are high; rabbit meat is generally not competitive with more widely consumed meats. A proposed alternative solution is a redirected focus on rabbits as a “microlivestock” species — reared in small numbers as a family enterprise to enhance quality of life in rural and periurban areas, as well as in lesser developed countries — as opposed to further exploitation of the species as a commercial agricultural commodity. Key words: Rabbit, commercial, contemporary issues, industry, production