World meat industry news

The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia has developed veterinary rules for keeping rabbits in order to breed, grow and sell them. It is planned that the document will come into force on March 1, 2024 and will be valid until March 1, 2030.

The new rules establish requirements for the conditions for keeping rabbits, quarantine, mandatory preventive and diagnostic measures. These norms will apply to the breeding of rabbits in personal subsidiary plots and farms, by individual entrepreneurs, large agricultural organizations and institutions of the penitentiary system.

So, when keeping rabbits in the same building with other animals, the building "should be divided into isolated rooms for each type of animal." At the same time, the keeping of birds in the building in which the rabbits are located is not allowed. There must be at least 150 m from the building with rabbits to the poultry house if chickens or ducks are kept in cages. When walking birds, the building with rabbits must be at least 200 m away.

The rules also prescribe the zoning of a rabbit breeding enterprise. There should be a separate production area, areas for storage and preparation of feed, manure processing, and an office building. The veterinary and prophylactic point should be located at a distance of at least 50 m from other objects and be surrounded by a solid fence.

The veterinary rules specify the requirements for temperature and humidity, cage sizes, feed and water consumption rates. For example, when kept in sheds, each rabbit should have less than one liter of water. The note states that water consumption rates include watering animals, preparing feed, washing equipment and cleaning premises.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 500 enterprises in Russia are engaged in raising rabbits for further sale.