TURKEY, DUCK & GOOSE
While most turkeys are still being reared intensively, more and more ducks are free-range or in less intensive indoor systems given enough water to dip their heads.
HOW DID THEY SCORE?
Waitrose came out top for making sure none of its fresh turkey, duck or goose comes from standard intensive systems. All its ducks and geese are free-range. Waitrose is the only supermarket to provide water for its ducks to
swim in.
Supermarkets are moving towards more free-range and organic turkey but disappointingly over 80 percent of turkey sold by Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons still comes from intensive indoor systems, with similar welfare concerns to intensive broiler chickens.
All M&S ducks are free-range. All fresh duck from Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons comes from ducks reared in less intensive indoor systems such as RSPCA Freedom Food. While they aren’t able to swim, they all now have enough water to dip their heads (including all Sainsbury’s ducks in 2008). This is a great improvement for duck welfare.
All of the geese sold by the supermarkets surveyed are reared in free-range systems.
