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Rabbit Battery Farms - IMPORTANT, Please Read

I got this email from PETA

Rabbits haven't been condemned to factory farms in the UK for 15 years, but that was in danger of changing recently when plans were submitted to build two intensive rabbit-breeding farms in East Bridgford and Granby in Nottinghamshire.

Each of the proposed facilities would have confined up to 1,100 rabbits in small wire cages stacked three high inside windowless barns. Rabbits' feet are particularly sensitive, and they would likely suffer from extremely painful bone disorders and foot inflammation when forced to stand constantly on the proposed facility's wire floors. With no fresh air, sunlight or opportunities to run, hop, burrow or engage in other natural behaviour, the rabbits could quickly become depressed, stressed and neurotic, even to the point of self-mutilation.

But thanks in large part to action by generous PETA donors like you, plans for these houses of horror have been shelved! After PETA members wearing rabbit costumes protested outside the Rushcliffe Borough Council office holding signs that read, "Everybunny Say NO to Factory Farms", and after PETA supporters deluged the council with more than 1,600 objections, the farmer withdrew his applications.
:D
 
I can't actually believe there are rabbit factory farms - that is horrendous! I don't think I can look at any pictures or read the article, as I don't think I could handle it. If there were factory farms for dogs and cats, there would be an uproar - why should rabbits be any different? Or any other animal!!!

Sadly,there ARE factory farms for dogs - they are known as puppy farms. All operating perfectly legally and under licence. (If anyone wants to know more about puppy farms look on youtube or google puppy love campaigns) Hundreds of dogs are housed in squalor with several per kennel, just used as breeding machines and for profit. People's lack of research when buying a puppy goes along way to keeping these hell holes going :cry:


Great news about the rabbit farms though :D Lets hope the application is never renewed.
 
Where do you think the rabbit in cat & dog food comes from? or the rabbits for laboratories?
There are many 'cottage industry' farms that are small scale and get under the radar of inspection/welfare laws in this country.

The proposed plans by T & S Nurseries to farm free range rabbits for meat in the UK should be supported. Presently, we import over 3000 tonnes of rabbit meat a year from countries such as China and eastern Europe where they are kept in horrrendous conditions, as there are no welfare laws to protect them.

If T & S Nurseries raise the bar, then that could see an end to the hidden battery farming that exists here. The rabbits in T & S N plans will have more space than most pet rabbits in this country have, they will have company, enrichmnet, food and water. Mr Kerry who is submitting the plans, is now consulting with welfare experts, as to the best way to do this.

I co-authored a paper on this, with Anne McBride, last week, which we published in Hopping Mad on Monday. It's a lengthy but valuable read, and addresses many points that people raised about the original applications, which were grossly misrepresented in the press - Kerry was never going to have rabbits in battery cages.

See under 'features' - To Farm or not To Farm rabbits'.
 
oh, and the plans were not retracted because of PETA. They were retracted because Kerry decided that he could do this better, and responded to LOCAL concerns. PETA, like the press and other welfare organisations, did not purse the facts about this application before leaping in. Like others, they are quick to jump on a bandwagon that they think will get them more money from the public from donations.
 
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