Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	10 July 2000 Viva! Call to Tesco - Stop Debeaking Ducks! Pet Rescue star Wendy Turner will be presenting Tesco’s Covent Garden store manager with a giant protest letter signed by herself and other celebrities, including Sir Paul McCartney, Joanna Lumley, Pam Ferris and Twiggy on Thursday July 13th at noon. It is part of a national demonstration by the animal charity Viva! calling on the supermarket to stop selling painfully-debeaked Barbary duck. The protest marks the start of Viva!’s National Day of Action Against Tesco, which will see giant ‘ducks’ debeaked by ‘store managers’ outside hundreds of Tesco branches across Britain. It will highlight the store’s continued involvement in the Barbary duck trade. The celebrities’ letter describes the debeaking of ducks as: “Unacceptable and incompatible with consumer concerns for animal welfare.” Viva!’s 52-page Ducks out of Water report reveals how Barbary/Muscovy ducks have the ends of their sensitive beaks sliced off in an attempt to prevent feather-pulling - a product of the stressful conditions on duck factory farms. Scientists have found that it is traumatic and can lead to life-long suffering. As a direct result of Viva!’s campaign, Harrods have stopped selling factory farmed duck meat and Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Asda have withdrawn all Barbary duck. Tesco and Somerfield are the only companies still stocking meat from debeaked ducks and Somerfield has already pledged to review its policy. Says Viva! director Juliet Gellatley, “Debeaking is a brutal procedure which involves cutting through a highly sensitive organ. It is like slicing off a human’s fingertips. We call upon Tesco to follow other supermarkets and stop selling Barbary duck.” For details of regional protests, a full report on UK duck farming, pictures or video footage, contact Viva! on 0117 944 1000