Malta's rabbit farms are facing serious challenges as temperatures continue to rise, putting both the animals and the livelihoods of local farmers at risk, new UM research reveals.
In a Research Article published on , penned by Francesco Luca Alexander under the supervision of George Attard from the Department of Rural Sciences and Food Systems within the Institute of Earth Systems at the University of Malta, it is reported that during the hot summer months, ambient temperatures inside barns have risen significantly, leading to heat stress in the animals. This stress not only impacts the reproductive performance of the breeding stock, but also compromises the growth performance of market rabbits.
It has also been noted that in these temperatures, rabbits consume less food and have an increased respiration rate, among other things.
Current structures have been insulated, but since most facilities are not properly equipped to deal with these rising temperatures, there is the need for a temperature-controlled environment, especially in the summer months.
Another factor of note is that with Malta’s reliance on imported grains, feed costs are not being utilised efficiently. When the only interest of some feed suppliers being to sell feed, without them having the right knowledge about rabbit nutrition, they cannot make appropriate recommendations.
A number of questionnaires were distributed among various stakeholders and professionals working within the sector, in order to explore the current situation of the sector, between December 2022 and February 2023.
The negative impact on rabbit health and farm productivity, prompts calls for adaptive measures to safeguard this traditional industry.
The report also makes recommendations for:
- an improvement in the biosecurity measures applied on Malta’s rabbit farms – such as better pest-control programmes, for example
- better technical support for farmers
- more modernised farm infrastructure
- more research and investment in climate-resilient farming practices
The article may be accessed .
