The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund is launching a new initiative to highlight good and bad practice among pet retailers when it comes to welfare standards.

Rae Todd, of RWAF, says the organisation wants to prove to pet shops that good welfare means good business, and is prepared to highlight those retailers who take the matter seriously as well as those that don't.

For the past three years RWAF has been running a ‘Hutch and Run’ competition for retailers and manufacturers with a view to encouraging improvements in the standards of the products available for rabbits. 

"We now feel as if there are enough options available to pet shops to offer the correct products to their customers and there is certainly enough information out there for retailers to provide sound advice to their customers," said Rae.

"We may well return to the scheme in future because we know that we have to keep on top of how the industry considers welfare standards in its product ranges.

"But for now we want to try something different.  We understand from our members, social media, rabbit savvy vets and some rescues, that there are some retailers who are taking their welfare responsibilities seriously. 

"These responsiblities include selling accommodation that meets the rabbits’ needs, giving correct advice on bonding, neutering, vaccinations, and diet, linking up with their local vet and promoting the adoption of rescue rabbits. 

"We would like to hear about these retailers so we can use them as examples to other parts of the industry and show them that good welfare is good business, and that by considering welfare standards, knowledgeable, loyal and rabbit owners will become knowledgeable, loyal and profitable customers!  It may be that your retailer does a lot of things right but doesn't tick ALL of the welfare boxes.  We want to hear about them too so we can work with them to help them put the rest of their house in order.

"Sadly, we are also all too aware that there are still a huge amount of retailers who do not consider the long term welfare of the animals that they either sell, or sell products for.  It is still too common for a retailer to happily sell a single rabbit, a bag of muesli and a 3ft hutch and as we all know, this leads to misery, neglect and needless suffering.  We want to hear about these retailers too because, quite frankly, we want to let everybody know who they are so they can be avoided.  We want them to know that bad welfare is bad business."

Through its website www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk RWAF will be asking pet owners to nominate the good and bad retailers during August 2014.

Pet Trade Xtra has agreed to support the RWAF in this initiative and will be reporting on the findings.

"This only applies to licenced pet stores, not unlicenced online sellers," says Rae. "That's a whole different front of the welfare war that we're fighting."