What we do
Our vision
ERA was created with the purpose of defending the interests of the European rabbit sector. This sector provides sustainable and healthy food. It is engaged in a forward-looking thinking and constructive collaboration with the European institutions and stakeholders. ERA is a committed player in the search for solutions and a force for proposals.
Sustainability
ERA adheres to the European objectives to make food system more sustainable. Sustainability relies on three pillars: economy, social and environment. They must be addressed on an equal footing in order to find balanced and manageable solutions agreeable to all parties. ERA is proud to contribute to food security in Europe by offering quality meat.
Animal welfare
The European rabbit breeders attach great importance to rearing their animals in the best possible conditions by complying with high EU’s animal welfare standards. The sector is committed to further improving its breeding practices by using the most up-to-date scientific data tested under farms conditions. Any change should be done in a progressive and thoughtful way and be the result of a dialogue including all the relevant players.
Animal health
European rabbit meat breeders take special care in rearing healthy animals. Healthy rabbits provide healthy and safe meat. Professionals in the rabbit sector take ambitious action to combat antimicrobial resistance by reducing significantly the use of antibiotics. For example, in Spain, antibiotic use has decreased by 55% from 2015 to 2020 and treatments in French rabbit farms have dropped by more than 70% since 2010.
Environment
From an environmental point of view, rabbit farming performs well with one of the lowest carbon footprints. This is due to the diet of the animals and the fact that, although they are herbivorous, they produce little methane during their digestion. Moreover, rabbit feed contains a lot of co-products. The recycling of these co-products in rabbit feed avoids waste and does not compete with human food.
Sustainable growth in rural areas
The European rabbit sector contributes to growth and job creation in rural areas and ensures that rabbit meat products are available at fair prices. Professionals of the sector should be guaranteed a decent salary. ERA underlines the importance of maintaining and further supporting employment and life in rural areas as well as promoting regional heritage. In addition, the rabbit sector is one of the livestock sectors with the greatest presence of women and young people.
Key figures
In the EU
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Belgium counts 13 rabbit breeders
705 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Belgian consumers eat 222 grams of rabbit meat per year
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Czech Republic counts 12 rabbit breeders
995 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Czech consumers eat 600 grams of rabbit meat per year
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France counts 700 rabbit breeders
30 200 tonnes of meat are produced per year
French consumers eat 508 grams of rabbit meat per year
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Germany counts approximately 20 rabbit breeders
German consumers eat 500 grams of rabbit meat per year
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75 professionals work in the rabbit sector
11 232 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Hungarian consumers eat 778 grammes of rabbit meat per year
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Italy counts 3 555 rabbit breeders
22 000 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Italian consumers eat between 700 and 1 000 grams of rabbit meat per year
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The Netherlands count 35 rabbit breeders
3 700 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Dutch consumers eat 300 grams of rabbit meat per year
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Poland counts 40 rabbit breeders
3 150 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Polish consumers eat 500 grams of rabbit meat per year
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Portugal counts 120 rabbit breeders
6 515 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Portuguese consumers eat 550 grams of rabbit meat per year
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Spain counts 1 555 rabbit breeders
47 521 tonnes of meat are produced per year
Spanish consumers eat 850 grams of rabbit meat per year
Publications
Take a look at our leaflet !