Ducks are being fed less bread in favour of a healthier diet

New diet: Ducks are being fed healthier meals following a campaign by The Canal and River Trust
Rex
Laura Proto14 March 2016

Ducks have ditched bread in favour of a healthier diet after members of the public were urged to stop feeding them breadcrumbs.

The Canal and River Trust, which cares for 2,000 miles of waterway in England and Wales, said there had been a 20 per cent call in the number of people feeding ducks bread.

The trust launched a campaign last year to encourage people to feed ducks a healthier dinner of seeds, fruit and vegetables.

But 3.5 million loaves of bread are still being thrown into canals, rivers, ponds and lakes every year.

Bread is bad for ducks for several reasons including causing overpopulation as birds flock to the food, uneaten bread can spread diseases and attract pests and excessive droppings can reduce water quality and clog channels.

Peter Birch, national environment manager for the Canal and River Trust, said: "We're really pleased with the public response to our campaign so far and the way people are changing their duck feeding habits.

“However there's still work to be done and still too much bread is being dumped in the waterways. We need more people to get the word out and encourage everyone to feed the ducks sensibly.

"It only takes a few simple changes such as swapping bread for healthy food that is closer to a duck's natural diet - like oats, corn or peas.

“If everyone avoids going to the same duck-feeding hotspots and exercises portion control that would also make a big difference.”

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