A shocking draft law by Michela Vittoria Brambila to protect Italy’s rabbits would make it unlawful to use them as food, because rabbits have crawled up the list of most popular pets and are now only behind dogs and cats. The former minister, always an animal defender, proposes that rabbits should have the same rights as any other domestic animal.
This would mean it would be forbidden to use them as food, and therefore rabbits would no longer be found at the butcher’s; it would also be unlawful to raise them for their fur. Anyone who raises, exports, imports, exploits, transports, gives or receives rabbits for slaughter, or trades their meat, would risk from four months to two years of prison, plus a fee of 1,000 to 5,000 euros per rabbit. Protecting these little pets that share our homes with us and keep us company also means keeping their population under control and being able to identify every domestic rabbit through a microchip. Rabbit owners, of course, are obliged to provide them with everything they need to live comfortably and safely in our homes: a suitably sized cage with everything they need, and the possibility to run around free for at least 3 or 4 hours every day.
We’ll keep an eye on this draft law and keep you posted.