Viva! - Press Release

Viva!
8 York Court
Wilder Street
Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000
Fax: 0117 924 4646

email:
media@viva.org.uk

11 April 2000

STOP THE UGLY DUCKLING INDUSTRY!

Nationwide Easter Action by Viva!: 15th-24th April 2000

Viva! campaigners dressed as ducks and carrying banners saying ‘Free as a Bird?’ and ‘The ugly duckling industry - factory farming misery for Easter’ will be outside supermarkets across the country this Easter urging shoppers not to buy duck meat. The Easter Action will contrast the Easter-card image of ducklings with the brutal reality of duck factory farms.

The protests follow a major expose of the UK’s duck farm industry by the animal charity Viva!, who have revealed the squalid, cramped conditions on intensive duck farms after a major investigation into factory-farmed duck meat - on sale at all major supermarkets. Their campaign against the trade is backed by celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney, Joanna Lumley and Twiggy.

Viva!’s video footage shows that ducks bred for meat are kept indoors - thousands in a single shed - where they are forced to waddle around in their own excrement. The charity’s Ducks Out of Water! report reveals how the end of the birds’ sensitive beaks may be cut off to prevent feather-pulling - a result of the highly stressful conditions. Staff levels as low as one worker to 85,000 birds ensure that sick or injured birds frequently go unnoticed and are simply left to die.

Equally disturbing is the fact that these aquatic animals are provided with no water for swimming. Unable to fulfil this most fundamental need, they can suffer from poor and dirty feathers, difficulty in keeping warm, eye problems and even blindness.

‘At Easter, the shops are full of cards depicting fluffy yellow ducklings in the countryside,’ says Juliet Gellatley, director of Viva!. ‘This idyllic spring-time image bears no resemblance to the filthy, unnatural conditions which real-life ducklings are forced to endure. They are separated from their mothers and imprisoned in sheds where never have the opportunity to swim or splash around in water. After seven miserable weeks, they are slaughtered for the dinner plate. It’s barbaric.

‘We will be urging supermarket shoppers to boycott duck meat and try some veggie meals this Easter instead. Spring is all about celebrating new life and new beginnings so it’s the perfect time to show some compassion for animals and give up meat for good,’ Ms Gellatley concludes.

Campaign supporter Joanna Lumley has joined the boycott call. She appeals to consumers, ‘The cruelty of modern farming has to end - and you have the power to do it. Don’t buy meat from these diseased and dejected creatures.’

For details of protests, a full report on UK duck farming, pictures or video footage, contact Juliet Gellatley or Becky Smith at Viva! headquarters on 0117 944 1000.

For further information on duck farming, visit our campaign pages here.

If you would like to receive a copy of our free Ducks out of Water Action Pack, including pre-printed postcards, letters, what you can do and leaflets, please email us your name, address (and age, if under 18).



Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	11 April 2000 STOP THE UGLY DUCKLING INDUSTRY! Nationwide Easter Action by Viva!: 15th-24th April 2000 Viva! campaigners dressed as ducks and carrying banners saying ‘Free as a Bird?’ and ‘The ugly duckling industry - factory farming misery for Easter’ will be outside supermarkets across the country this Easter urging shoppers not to buy duck meat. The Easter Action will contrast the Easter-card image of ducklings with the brutal reality of duck factory farms. The protests follow a major expose of the UK’s duck farm industry by the animal charity Viva!, who have revealed the squalid, cramped conditions on intensive duck farms after a major investigation into factory-farmed duck meat - on sale at all major supermarkets. Their campaign against the trade is backed by celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney, Joanna Lumley and Twiggy. Viva!’s video footage shows that ducks bred for meat are kept indoors - thousands in a single shed - where they are forced to waddle around in their own excrement. The charity’s Ducks Out of Water! report reveals how the end of the birds’ sensitive beaks may be cut off to prevent feather-pulling - a result of the highly stressful conditions. Staff levels as low as one worker to 85,000 birds ensure that sick or injured birds frequently go unnoticed and are simply left to die. Equally disturbing is the fact that these aquatic animals are provided with no water for swimming. Unable to fulfil this most fundamental need, they can suffer from poor and dirty feathers, difficulty in keeping warm, eye problems and even blindness. ‘At Easter, the shops are full of cards depicting fluffy yellow ducklings in the countryside,’ says Juliet Gellatley, director of Viva!. ‘This idyllic spring-time image bears no resemblance to the filthy, unnatural conditions which real-life ducklings are forced to endure. They are separated from their mothers and imprisoned in sheds where never have the opportunity to swim or splash around in water. After seven miserable weeks, they are slaughtered for the dinner plate. It’s barbaric. ‘We will be urging supermarket shoppers to boycott duck meat and try some veggie meals this Easter instead. Spring is all about celebrating new life and new beginnings so it’s the perfect time to show some compassion for animals and give up meat for good,’ Ms Gellatley concludes. Campaign supporter Joanna Lumley has joined the boycott call. She appeals to consumers, ‘The cruelty of modern farming has to end - and you have the power to do it. Don’t buy meat from these diseased and dejected creatures.’ For details of protests, a full report on UK duck farming, pictures or video footage, contact Juliet Gellatley or Becky Smith at Viva! headquarters on 0117 944 1000. For further information on duck farming, visit our campaign pages here. If you would like to receive a copy of our free Ducks out of Water Action Pack, including pre-printed postcards, letters, what you can do and leaflets, please email us your name, address (and age, if under 18).