by adrian

Members of West Wales Veggies and their friends took part in a peaceful protest against factory farming of ducks on December 19th. Read the press release here.

MEDIA RELEASE

Animal campaigners from Tenby and Haverfordwest called on Sainsbury’s shoppers to say no to duck meat for Christmas on Saturday December 19^th during a peaceful protest.

The event was organised as part of a National Day of Action for Ducks by leading vegetarian and vegan group Viva! – who are the first group to film the slaughter of millions of ducks inside a factory of a company who supply major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s.

Monica Fernandez from West Wales Vegetarians says the group were deeply shocked and upset by the footage, which shows ducks struggling in distress during a gruesome execution. Sainsbury’s was chosen after it was discovered by Viva! that the ducks it sells never go outside and never have access to water for swimming. Almost all duck sold for meat in the UK has been factory farmed.

“Viva!s footage shows for the first time what happens to millions of Britain’s favourite bird when they are slaughtered for our supermarket shelves – and the reality is beyond anyone’s worst nightmare. Row upon row of ducks crammed on a line before they are electrocuted. Most ducks killed for meat in the UK are no more than ducklings when they are slaughtered. Sainsbury’s ducks don’t go outside and they can’t even swim. Water is life for ducks, and it is shameful that they have been denied even this basic welfare right” said Ms Fernandez.

“The factory farming of ducks is just plain wrong, no matter what welfare tinkering you do at the edges. That is why we asked shoppers in Tenby to try something kind this Christmas by not buying duck – or any other meat for that matter. The best way to end the suffering of animals is to go veggie”.

West Wales Vegetarians is a social and campaigning group for veggies and vegans, based in Pembrokeshire. To find out more, please visit http://www.westwalesveggies.veggroup.org

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

For more information about this media release, or about West Wales Vegetarians, please contact Monica Fernandez on 01437 731604.

To find out more about Viva!’s duck campaign, contact Justin Kerswell or Juliet Gellatley at Viva! by calling 0117 944 1000, or emailing info@viva.org.uk, or visiting www.viva.org.uk/ducks

During Viva!’s recent undercover investigation of Gressingham Foods – the supplier of duck meat to Sainsbury’s - the group filmed at the farms of one of their subsidiaries and found lame ducks, ducks with crusty eyes and some with necks so painfully distorted they found it difficult to feed or drink. Sainsbury’s have recently boasted of moving over to the RSPCA approved Freedom Foods standards, but Viva! have criticised this move as it will not mean that these essentially aquatic birds will go outside and it does not mean that they will ever swim.

In November, Viva! also filmed inside one of the slaughterhouses of Gressingham foods in Norfolk. This groundbreaking footage showed, amongst other things, footage of ducks struggling on the shackle line before they are electrocuted; birds attempting to escape; potential law and guideline breaches; and an admission on camera that a vet hardly ever observes slaughter. The slaughterhouse kills thousands of birds a week for the RSPCA accredited Freedom Foods scheme, as well as for other supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose.

Fifteen million ducks were killed for meat in the UK last year – which has gone down from 22 million in 2001. Viva! has been campaigning to end the factory farming of ducks since 1999. The group’s campaign has been instrumental in ending the practice of de-beaking of British ducks and has been credited by several supermarkets as the impetus for welfare improvements.