Can You Feed Kitchen Scraps to Rabbits? A Genuine Grey Area

Where a catering waste ban exists, it can clearly cover pigs, poultry, goats, sheep and horses, pets included — but rabbits sit in a genuinely less clear-cut spot, and we're disclosing that honestly rather than forcing a confident answer either way.

“Farmed rabbits” are named — but the wording is narrower than for other species

GOV.UK's official guidance on animal by-products as farm animal feed lists six categories of animal covered by these rules, which include the catering waste ban: any animal kept and fattened or bred for food, wool, fur, feather, hides or skins; any horses kept by humans; any farm animal species kept as pets, “for example sheep or exotic pig breeds”; ruminants kept in zoos or safari parks; farmed fish or shellfish; and farmed rabbits. GOV.UK, animal by-products as farm animal feed. Horses get explicit pet-inclusive wording (“any horses kept by humans”, no exception for pets). Rabbits don't get that same treatment — the category is “farmed rabbits” specifically, not “any rabbits kept by humans” or an explicit pet-inclusion clause the way pig breeds get.

Why this is a genuine grey area, not a simple yes or no

Commercial rabbit meat and fur farming is a real, if comparatively small, part of UK agriculture — which is presumably why “farmed rabbits” appears as its own named category at all. Whether that phrase is meant to cover the rabbit species generally (the same logic that extends coverage to “exotic pig breeds kept as pets”, since the species itself is a recognised farmed one) or only rabbits actually being commercially farmed at the time isn't spelled out in the guidance we've read. We haven't found a clarifying source that resolves this specific ambiguity for pet rabbits, so we're stating the genuine uncertainty rather than picking a confident answer neither direction of the source actually supports.

The practical answer: treat it as covered anyway

Regardless of how the legal ambiguity resolves, the practical advice is the same either way. Our feed guide already sets out what a properly sourced rabbit diet actually looks like — hay-first, with a modest, measured amount of pellets — and kitchen leftovers or vegetable peelings aren't part of that regardless of how the catering waste rule technically applies to rabbits specifically. There's no upside to testing the grey area: if you want to feed fresh vegetables, buy them for that purpose rather than treating kitchen trimmings as rabbit food.

The US: no equivalent federal rule found

The US federal law governing garbage-feeding, the Swine Health Protection Act, is specific to swine and doesn't extend to rabbits. We haven't found an equivalent federal restriction for rabbits, which doesn't mean there isn't one at state level — check your state department of agriculture and any local rules if this matters for your setup.

Source: GOV.UK / Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency, “Supplying and using animal by-products as farm animal feed” (last updated 14 January 2019): gov.uk. Sources checked: September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice — if the legal position matters for your situation, contact APHA directly.

Common questions

Does the UK catering waste ban apply to pet rabbits?

Genuinely unclear, and we're disclosing that rather than guessing. GOV.UK's official animal by-products guidance lists "farmed rabbits" as one of six categories covered by farm-animal-feed rules (which include the catering waste ban) — but unlike horses ("any horses kept by humans") or pig breeds ("farm animal species kept as pets"), it doesn't use pet-inclusive wording specifically for rabbits.

Are rabbits actually farmed in the UK?

Yes — commercial rabbit meat and fur farming is a real, if niche, part of UK agriculture, which is why GOV.UK's guidance names "farmed rabbits" as its own category alongside horses, farmed fish and shellfish, and pet farm-animal species.

Should I feed my pet rabbit kitchen scraps, even if the legal position is unclear?

No — separate from the legal question, our own feed guide notes rabbit diets should be hay-first with a modest measured amount of pellets, not kitchen leftovers. Vegetable peelings and cooked food aren't part of a properly sourced rabbit diet regardless of how the catering waste rule applies.

Is there a US federal rule for feeding rabbits food scraps?

Not one we've found. The federal Swine Health Protection Act that governs garbage-feeding is specific to swine — we haven't found an equivalent federal rule for rabbits, so check your state department of agriculture and local rules directly.