In our latest  Surge Exposés video, we shed light on conditions in three standard UK duck farms. The footage was undeniably disturbing, but what is going on elsewhere in the UK? We cast our eye over the past 12 months, including another harrowing investigation from Animal Justice Project, to get a picture of duck farming in the UK.

We may not see as many ducks killed each year as other birds like chickens and turkeys, but make no mistake, duck farming is big business. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 14.5 million ducks were reared for their flesh in the UK in 2017, not including those raised as egg layers. From high-end brands and gourmet eateries to crispy pancakes from the local Chinese takeaway, the market for duck flesh and eggs may be niche, but it is ubiquitous.

The majority of the ducks raised for their flesh are Pekins, the characteristically white breed that we see in so many duck investigations including our own and the one from Animal Justice Project. Released as part of their much broader The Foul Truth campaign, the two-month duck exposé ran from October to November last year, centering around two farms owned by Gressingham Duck - both Red Tractor approved and suppliers to Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Coop, Asda, Morrisons and Ocado.

What AJP unearthed, and was able to get into the mainstream national media (Daily Mail / Independent), was almost identical to what we witnessed: ducks being killed by having their necks broken, yet clearly alive and suffering for a long time afterwards; filthy conditions causing terrible physical health issues, and an absence of water for bathing, important for any waterfowl’s natural behaviour.

Not like a duck to water

There isn’t actually any legal requirement for farms to provide ducks with bathing water, despite repeated calls from welfare organisations like the RSPCA to change legislation and the industry’s own Red Tractor label including it in their certification standards for grower and free-range ducks.

Updated in October 2019, section AH.d.1 of Red Tractor’s Duck Standards states that: “50% of the drinker space is allocated as bathing water which equates to 30cm per 100 birds – the water facilities allow the duck to cover their head and take water up by the beak so that they can shake water over the body without difficulty – bathing water can be provided in, for example, troughs, bells, baths or showers.”

It’s pretty clear from the footage and pictures that no such facilities exist, yet in Gressingham’s case, both farms were and still are Red Tractor approved according to its website - yet more evidence that welfare labelling is meaningless and without the legislation to back it up, is little more than guilt appeasement. 

It should be recognised that changes to legislation, such as that proposed by the RSPCA in regards to water for bathing, can force on farms costly changes and are an effective tactic as part of seemingly welfare-oriented pressure campaigns. Duck farmers have stated that bringing in bathing facilities for ducks would be very costly, and for many who can’t absorb such costs, it would mean raising their prices and losing competitiveness.

Beak trimming in Barbary and Muscovy ducks

De-beaking or beak trimming has been a contentious issue in poultry farming for many years. Attempts to bring in bans on the practice have been rejected - in 2016, then farming minister George Eustice (now secretary of state of the same department) accepted recommendations that said that banning beak trimming would essentially lead to greater harm through feather pecking and cannibalism. Indeed this is the view held by Defra to this day, although using infra-red methods rather than a hot knife.

Pekins do not have their beaks trimmed, presumably because they do not cause themselves and each other harm - selective breeding to create lineages less prone to pecking is a suggested alternative to beak trimming, according to this report based on information from the American Veterinary Medicine Association, which refers to UK and European standards.

However, beak trimming is widespread among other breeds, including Barbary and Muscovy ducks. Viva states in its Ducks out of Water report: “The Muscovy's beak is sharp, unlike the domestic duck's, and can inflict serious injury. It is also richly innervated (supplied with nerves) and very well endowed with sensory receptors.”

While many supermarkets now no longer sell de-beaked Barbary ducks, thanks to the campaigning efforts of Viva prior to 2020, it is not illegal and they suspect the practice still goes on among Muscovy farmers.

Antibiotics and general health

Ducks are reared to 42-56 days old, around the time they reach the ‘desired weight’ of 3.1-3.5kg. It is at this point that they are rounded up by workers and thrown into plastic crates, to be taken to slaughter. Due to the manual handling involved, the fragility of ducks, and the speed at which staff must work, injuries are commonplace. 

Ducks simply aren’t supposed to spend their lives on dry land - in their natural habitat, much of their weight is supported throughout the day by water, and their legs aren’t adept at running and getting out of the way of humans and tractors, as we saw in our investigation.

Even before they reach slaughter weight, there is a range of issues that lead to the widespread use of antibiotics and medication.

In this 2019 report from the British Poultry Council (BPC), granted the industry has reduced its use of antibiotics considerably from 2014 to 2018 and adopted an ‘only when necessary’ approach, yet usage in ducks remains at 1.8mg per kilogram. This is relatively low compared to chickens and turkeys but is still indicative of the health issues that ducks face, including disease, parasitic infection and injury.

Don’t forget the ducks

A lot of work has been done to bring the plight of chickens and turkeys to the public attention, and images from inside the hellholes that are chicken sheds have rocked the poultry industry. Yet duck farming continues to enjoy the benefits of its luxurious facade. Consumers equate high prices and fine or exotic dining, with better treatment. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and has to be one of poultry marketing’s greatest deceptions.

We will be keeping a close eye on the duck industry and looking at ways to combat this perception in the same way as with chicken and turkey farming.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Gough is Media & Education Coordinator for Surge.