The position of small producers in the hungarian rabbit production

Abstract

The role of small rabbit producers was studied in this paper. Interviews with farmers and with the president of the Hungarian Rabbit Production Board were carried out in the South Plain Region of Hungary. The number of small rabbit farms and backyard production was reduced dramatically after the EU accession of the country. The rabbit production was decreased with more than 20% in the last year. There was no homogenous rabbit stock and quality; several problems were with the feeding and keeping technologies. The foreign consumers demanded animal welfare standards. Due to the lack of traceability at small scale farms the Hungarian abattoirs stopped accepting rabbits from small producers. New market was found for the living rabbit of small producers in Czech Republic, or they can sell the rabbits on local markets. The size of the recommended stock is over 1000 breeding does. The profitability of small stocks is very low or often negative at the moment. There are to alternatives in front of the small farmers: development of the rabbit farming to an entrepreneurial size on one hand, or preserve the traditional way of rabbit husbandry and help the rise of home sales and local market on the other hand. There is a demand of the slaughterhouses for rabbits from large scale farms, but their number does not increase because of the unpredictable export possibilities and fluctuating prices.