Page 13 - Hazels Rabbit Farm CS
P. 13
White Rabbits
The New Zealand (or California White) rabbit has
traditionally been bred for the meat industry and as such is
farmed slightly different from the Rex. They are also
farmed intensively: kept with the mother to around 4-5
weeks old, then moved with siblings to a fattening cage,
where they will stay until 10-12 weeks old when killed (they
are usually 2 kg in weight by this time). They can be housed
in groups as they are killed before they reach sexual
maturity when they would start fighting.
The Market
The Chinese Market
The Chinese industry is growing rapidly
and is now dwarfing rabbit production
in any other country. As a result, many
European businesses are closing down
or relocating to China where
production costs are much cheaper. However, it is felt that
the quality of rabbit fur coming from China is lower than
European-produced fur.
There are few environmental laws in China, which means
that costs of processing and production are cheaper. It is
common for raw pelts to be shipped to China for
processing then back to the source country for on-going
production.
