Ducks are farmed globally for meat, eggs, down, and liver. Their welfare needs — particularly access to water for bathing — are systematically unmet in most commercial production systems.
Duck welfare in commercial systems is compromised by the mismatch between the aquatic nature of ducks and the terrestrial production environments they are kept in. Open water access is not a luxury for ducks — it is central to their feather maintenance, eye and nasal health, thermoregulation, and behavioural needs. Ducks without bathing water develop eye infections from the inability to wash out the debris they naturally remove through head-dipping. Foie gras production represents the most severe end of duck welfare compromise: force-feeding causes oesophageal damage, organ enlargement, and liver pathology. The gap between duck welfare needs and standard commercial provision is large and largely unaddressed by regulation in most producing countries, making consumer pressure through purchasing decisions one of the more effective available levers.