Rabbit production and consumption in Hungary

Abstract

The aim of the study was to get information about the Hungarian rabbit production tendencies, and meat consumption habits of consumers. Data were collected from statistical databases, from producers’ organisation and by questionnaires. Production level has a cyclic pattern, profitability of production is seems to decrease. Slaughterhouses fit to European regulation. Traceability of the rabbits is more and more important. A lot of people can not make difference between rabbit and hare, so our first task was to make clear the difference between the two species. People buy living animals, whole carcasses or looking for different parts of the rabbit. The consumers from cities would like to buy semi-finished or ready-made products. The culture of rabbit meat cooking in Hungarian cuisine is very poor. The most important traits of the meat are the quality, freshness and price.