Petition · past parliament · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Ban third party sales of rabbits in England.
Closed
821 signatures
What the petition asks
The Government should ban third party sales of rabbits in England (i.e. pet shops) & require people to buy direct from a licensed breeder or adopt from a rescue centre instead. Licensed breeders will be required to show the rabbit's birth certificate & meet certain licence conditions.
This should reduce the number of rabbits who are sick, traumatised & unsocialised due to low-welfare breeding & selling environments, as well as meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which states that animals should have a “suitable environment” and “be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns”. Research has shown there are prevalent welfare issues in the UK pet rabbit industry & banning third party sellers should make rabbit breeders more accountable.
Timeline
| 26 Jun 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 26 Dec 2020 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
821
Status
Closed
Department
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Opened
26 Jun 2020
Closed
26 Dec 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.