Latest Investigation Of Duck Egg Farming In Indonesia Reveals Brutal Conditions

Indonesia – Dec. 22, 2021 – We Animals Media and Act for Farmed Animals have investigated brutal conditions on duck egg farms in Indonesia, a growing industry of more than 60 million birds. The photos and video document ducks living and dying in extreme conditions with practically no oversight or welfare considerations, and Act for Farmed Animals is calling for Indonesian authorities to act immediately.

Our investigation shows ducks:

confined in tiny cages, unable to walk or express their natural aquatic behavior, causing heat stress, frustration and unhygienic problems;

getting trampled by other ducks and being roughly handled;

living in squalor exacerbated by dead bodies, excrement and the inability to express natural grooming behaviors, creating an unbearable stench;

without veterinary care. At least one farmer gave sick ducks amoxicillin and paracetamol meant for humans and then returned them to production;

exhibiting skin problems and open wounds, missing feathers, disfigured and bloodied.

At slaughter, ducks’ throats are slit and they are often fully conscious while they die. Workers slaughter ducks in front of other ducks, and even in markets ducks can witness other ducks being cut into pieces in front of them.

One particular duck, after their throat was slit, remained alive as a worker poured boiling water on them. They attempted to escape until the worker confined them in a bucket, where they eventually died.

Production at these farms varies. Smaller farms produce approximately 165 eggs each day, while larger operations produce upwards of 2,000 or even 4,000. At “backyard-style” slaughterhouses, workers kill approximately 200 ducks each day, while at larger slaughterhouses they kill 500-1,000 depending on pandemic capabilities. One farm on Java Island sells to a distributor who supplies eggs to large supermarkets in Indonesia, and plans to expand their exportation to other countries, such as Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.

Ducks are aquatic animals and spend a large part of their lives in water, which is essential for them to perform a variety of important natural behaviours such as sieving, dabbling, preening and head dipping. Bathing is also crucial for maintaining healthy body temperatures, good feather condition, and to keep their nostrils and eyes clean. Ducks can live up to 12 years, but are killed at about 18 months when egg productivity declines, or at two months for ducks killed to eat.

Act for Farmed Animals is petitioning the Indonesia government to enact welfare legislation immediately. https://www.actforfarmedanimals.org/?lang=en

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