Pets at Home will no longer sell pet food containing rabbit. The retail chain has changed its policy due to concerns about the conditions under which rabbits are bred and reared on farms across Europe for use in human food. The rabbit used in pet food comes from animals that are bred for human consumption.
Around 50 product lines will be removed from Pets at Home as a result of the decision. The retailer announced that it is already allocating replacement products.
Dr. Maeve Moorcroft, head of pets at Pets at Home, commented: “This is a real step forward for the pet food industry. Whilst it does mean certain product lines will no longer be available for dogs and cats, we still have an extensive variety of other nutritious meals and treats in our stores for pets to maintain a healthy diet.”
Maeve continued: “Owners shouldn’t worry about removing rabbit from their pets’ diets. However if they are concerned, they can also speak to a colleague in their nearest store for advice.”
Lisa Miao, trading director at Pets at Home, said: “As a company of pet lovers we have invested significant time, effort and resource into improving the welfare of the pets we sell and helping our customers to understand what is required to look after them properly.
“Whilst no rabbits are farmed exclusively for use in pet foods, we became aware that the welfare standards of the animals being farmed for use in the human food chain fall far short of what we would accept for the rabbits sold as pets in our stores. Because of this, as pet lovers we have decided to stop selling pet food with flavour variants that include rabbit.”
