The fight broke out at Germany’s 27th Federal Buck Rabbit Show when rival breeders accused Jurgen Erdmann of cheating by giving his rabbits skin grafts.

Mr Erdmann told a court in Halle that his rivals had called him a “Scheiss Ossi” in reference to his upbringing in the former East, The Times reports.

However, the judge rejected his claim that he acted in self-defence and fined him €2,400 (around £2,200) for attacking his critics.

One victim told the court: “Even if I were to say, ‘I’ve got an issue with your rabbits’, you can accept that and talk about it. But you don’t push someone to the ground and break five ribs.”