Act For Farmed Animals is urging Indonesian authorities to take action after the investigation’s release.
[Jakarta, Indonesia] — Animal protection NGOs are urging Indonesian authorities to phase out the use of battery cages for ducks and laying hens after an undercover investigation by We Animals Media and Act For Farmed Animals (www.actforfarmedanimals.org) has revealed immense animal suffering in Indonesian farms.
The investigation shows ducks confined in tiny cages, unable to walk or express their natural aquatic behavior, with signs of heat stress and frustration. Further documentation shows ducks getting trampled by others; living in squalor surrounded by dead bodies and excrement; dying without proper veterinary care; and exhibiting skin problems, open wounds, missing feathers, and bloodied.
“It's a sad reality that while the consumption of duck eggs and meat is on the rise in Indonesia, many Indonesians still think these animals are living good lives, roaming freely in rice fields. But the sad truth is that they are being confined and forced to live under very unnatural conditions that cause them a lot of suffering,”
says Angelina Pane, founder of Animal Friends Jogja, a member of Act for Farmed Animals.
Credit: Haig /Act For Farmed Animals / We Animals Media
The investigation also exposes how ducks are killed in slaughterhouses and markets. Animals have their throats slit while still fully conscious, and can watch others being killed right in front of them while they wait for their turn. During the investigation, one duck had their throat slit and remained alive and conscious as a worker poured boiling water on them. Struggling to escape, the worker trapped the duck in a bucket where they eventually perished.
Scientific studies show that housing ducks in tiny cages can have negative impacts on foot and leg health, and increase stress leading to abnormal behaviors such as feather pecking. Higher stocking densities can also make ventilation and waste management more challenging which can increase the risk of disease and thermal stress.
Ducks are waterfowl, meaning under natural conditions they are aquatic and spend a large part of their lives in the water. Animal welfare experts also have concluded via studies that access to water is essential for ducks to perform a variety of highly motivated water-related bathing behaviors such as sieving, dabbling, preening, and head dipping. These bathing behaviors are important for ducks to have good feather condition, keep their nostrils and eyes clean, and for thermoregulation (maintaining normal body temperature).
Credit: Haig /Act For Farmed Animals / We Animals Media
In 2019, a similar investigation by Act For Farmed Animals also showed shocking conditions in the production of chicken eggs, with animals being practically immobilized in battery cages, with untreated diseases and dirty environments. Because of this enormous cruelty, conventional battery cages have already been banned across the European Union, New Zealand and several US states.
“The vast majority of Indonesia's egg-producing hens are also confined to tiny cages, where they can barely move and cannot carry out their natural behaviors. These confinement systems - both for ducks and hens - have nothing to do with the country's tradition of having free animals in fields. We are urging Indonesian authorities to change this reality,”
explains Pane.
As a result of the investigation, Act for Farmed Animals is urging the Indonesian Government to:
provide incentives for Indonesia to phase out battery cages for hens and ducks;
support farmers to transition to higher welfare systems; and
have proper enrichment for both species to carry out their natural behaviours, including water access, for ducks.
Indonesian citizens are also urged to visit www.actforfarmedanimals.org to ask the government to take action.
About Act For Farmed Animals
Act For Farmed Animals is a joint campaign run by the NGOs Animal Friends Jogja and Sinergia Animal to improve animal welfare in Indonesia.
About Animal Friends Jogja
Animal Friends Jogja is an animal protection organization in Indonesia committed to defending the rights of all animals and creating a compassionate society through grassroots activism, humane education, advocacy and public awareness campaigns.
About Sinergia Animal
Sinergia Animal is an international animal protection organization working in countries of the Global South to reduce the suffering of farmed animals and promote more compassionate food choices. The entity is recognized as one of the most effective animal protection NGOs in the world by Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE).
About We Animals Media
Founded by Jo-Anne McArthur, We Animals Media is the world’s leading animal photojournalism agency, documenting the stories of animals used for food, fashion, entertainment, tradition and experimentation through compelling photojournalism. These photos and video are available on WAM’s world-class stock platform, which offers 12,000+ royalty-free visuals from professional photojournalists worldwide.
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