Ducks are among the least regulated farm animals in most jurisdictions. Their strong behavioral needs for water access and social engagement are poorly met in intensive production systems.
Commercial duck welfare represents one of the most significant gaps in farm animal protection, with ducks excluded from meaningful species-specific regulations in most producing countries. The deprivation of water access for bathing and behavioral expression is so contrary to duck natural history that it constitutes a fundamental welfare failure affecting millions of birds annually. Foie gras production adds extreme acute welfare harms through forced feeding. Consumer awareness of duck welfare is substantially lower than for pigs and chickens, meaning market pressure for improvement is weaker. Higher welfare duck production with pond access, lower stocking density, and prohibition of forced feeding is commercially viable and produces welfare outcomes that are dramatically better than conventional intensive systems.