RSPCA hope to improve welfare for farmed ducks

The RSPCA has launched the new Like a duck to water campaign to highlight poor conditions that ducks are being farmed in, and are calling on the government, producers and food businesses to insist upon their standards.

Currently, ducks can be reared in sheds with no windows and no bedding, and can be given their only water supply through a metal-ball bearing drinker, by law.

The Duck Assurance scheme standards is a step up from conditions by law, however doesn't insist on natural daylight or proper bathing water, unlike the RSPCA's welfare standards. The Duck Assurance scheme's launch saw the welfare of around two million ducks fall from the RSPCA's standards.

The proportion of ducks being reared with natural daylight, bedding and bathing water fell in 2011 by 20 percent, and is further declining.

The Like a duck to water campaign follows research that showed eight out of ten people think it should be illegal for farm duck to be reared without bathing water.

Duck welfare expert, Dr Mark Cooper, said: "Ducks are waterfowl, they need bathing water, why else would they have webbed feet?"

RSPCA campaigner, Eloise Shavelar, commented: "More ducks are being reared in the UK but sadly welfare appears to be getting worse. Even animal lovers don't realise that there are severe welfare problems for farmed duck because it's seen as a luxury product and therefore shoppers don't think it's intensively reared in a similar way to chicken.

"We want shoppers to know the truth about the duck meat they buy."