Asia produces the vast majority of the world's farmed ducks. The welfare conditions of billions of ducks in intensive Asian production systems are largely invisible to global consumers and welfare advocates.
The welfare of billions of ducks in Asian production systems is one of the most significant unaddressed welfare issues in global animal agriculture. The same physiological welfare needs that apply to UK ducks - water for bathing, adequate space, social grouping - apply globally, but the regulatory and market mechanisms that can drive welfare improvement in European contexts are largely absent in Asian production. International trade in duck products, including processed duck in ready meals, means that European consumers may inadvertently be purchasing products from welfare systems far below EU standards. Supply chain transparency and import welfare standards are the mechanisms through which consuming countries can influence global production welfare.