See Professor Marion Stamp Dawkins, Professor of Animal Behaviour of
Oxford University, research into commercial duck welfare
Full article on the Poultry Site.
"So how did the ducks rank a shower (more hygienic and economical) against
actual bathing in a pond? Pretty highly, it turned out. Their health was good
and they spend even more time with showers than with the ponds when given the
choice. We found no evidence of them being deprived of anything if they just had
showers. On the contrary, showers were, from their point of view and ours, a
very good substitute."
Duvets:
a nightmare for geese - see
the WSPA website
A
shocking documentary series has revealed that many duvets are stuffed with down
plucked from live geese, a practice that causes acute suffering. WSPA is
extremely disturbed by this fresh evidence about the global down industry. The first programme, shown on Swedish television channel TV4 on 1
February, revealed that millions of birds are plucked alive
every year in
Europe
alone. The
figure is even higher in China, the world’s largest producer of down and other feathers. China
exports to a number of European countries where the down is used in duvets,
pillows and jackets.Regardless
of the origin of the feathers, the consequences for the geese are clear: they
are tormented and badly stressed during the plucking process. WSPA is strongly
opposed to the plucking of live birds
The footage – which is extremely distressing – can be viewed on the TV4
website
 |
BIRD
WELFARE STRATEGY - CONSULTATION DOCUMENT is at www.birdwelfarestrategy.org.uk
(click for link)
The welfare discussion document, Avian Strategy For Hobbyist
Livestock and Pet Birds, has been eight months in the making.
It was put together by the National Committee for Bird Strategy, a
group of eight specialist societies: the British Waterfowl
Association, Hawk Board, National Council for Aviculture, National
Pigeon Association of Great Britain, Parrot Society
UK
, Pet Care Trust, PCGB and World Pheasant Association.
In
its final form it will become England's Health and Welfare Strategy for
Birds - the basis for
official best-practice guidelines to be followed by fanciers.
|
The
draft strategy has four main aims:
. To
bring all hobbyist birdkeepers together and develop a national
strategy program under one umbrella;
. To
maintain participation in birdkeeping;
. To
raise birdkeeping skills, training and standards; and
. To
improve the quality and breeding of birds under hobbyist control.
The
document also reviews issues such as medicine needs, bird welfare
standards, health surveillance arrangements and companion bird
research.
“Avian
health and welfare is vital, not just because we owe birds a duty
of care as responsible owners and keepers, but because it is
fundamental to the long-term future of our ability to keep and
breed many species of birds.
For the Strategy to succeed, everyone involved with all aspects of
birdkeeping needs to engage with the issues identified in this
document and work together in a pragmatic and constructive way to
achieve the aims. Without this, the Strategy will fail and a real
opportunity will be lost
.
This represents a landmark, but it's only the starting point All
birdkeeping organisations should try to work together to achieve
this vision for the future.”
The
committee is now seeking comment on the document from birdkeepers.
Committee member Colin O'Hara said: “We want birdkeepers to tell
us if they think we've missed something out or whether we've been
too ambitious in what we think can be achieved. We want them to
comment in general about the aspirations in the document”.
The committee will assess all the comments before making
amendments. They aim to submit the strategy next April to the
supervising authority the England Implementation Group (EIG).
Clip of duck flock http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2008/marching-indian-ducks-p1.php
Pressure from Four Paws halts fattened
goose production in Hungary
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/15819/hungerit-stops-goose-liver-enterprise
HUNGARY
- Hungerit, one of the country's biggest poultry companies, has halted
production of fattened goose products under pressure from Austrian animal rights
organisation, Four Paws
"During the 2 weeks of force-feeding the animals become
ill. The death rate in this period is 20 times higher than conventional
duck meat production factories (source: EC commission). They die of heart
attacks, internal bleeding or asphyxia. Also they suffer from injuries, getting
cut on their beaks, wings and faces. Most of them see the world through pus
covered, infected eyes, caused by the ammonia (NH3) gases that are emitted by
the liquid manure under their cages. At the end of this life span the halls are
dead silent. The animals can't move and can hardly breathe – because of their
pathologically enlarged liver . They desperately try to get some oxygen by
shallow breathing through their open beaks. Each movement or pressure can cause
death now." http://www.fourpaws.org.uk/website/output.php?id=1175&idcontent=1542&language=1
Chief Veterinary Officers from across the world are
backing the move towards a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare which is
supported by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and is being
recognised by a growing number of government authorities and international
organisations.
Members of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) gave overwhelming
backing to the initiative at their annual meeting in Paris on Friday 25 May. The
WSPA-supported initiative for a Universal
Declaration for Animal Welfare working with HSI, RSPCA, CIWF, IFAW and the ASPCA
to be adopted by the UN is currently gaining momentum around the world:
• A global petition is close to achieving 500,000 signatures from members of
the public all over the world
• Government authorities in Kenya, India, the Philippines, Costa Rica and the
Czech Republic are officially backing the Declaration
To find out more about the Universal Declaration for Animal Welfare visit
the Animals Matterwebsite http://www.animalsmatter.org/
