Ducks are aquatic birds whose welfare in commercial farming is fundamentally compromised by denial of the water access essential to their biology.
Commercial duck farming routinely denies birds the water access that is fundamental to their biology. Ducks cannot clean their eyes and nostrils without water immersion — ocular and nasal disease is a predictable consequence of water-free farming. The frustrated motivation to access water causes stereotypic bill-dipping in nipple drinkers and significant welfare distress. Providing open water access is a straightforward welfare improvement. Foie gras production — which force-feeds ducks to produce an enlarged liver — compounds these baseline concerns with invasive feeding procedures. France's progressive ban on foie gras production represents an important precedent.