In order to comply with the requirements of the Animal Welfare ^Act¹ (TierSchG) regarding the keeping of muscovy ducks, the Council of Europe’s recommendations on muscovy ^ducks³ are taken into account alongside the general provisions of the Animal Welfare and Livestock Management Ordinance^² (TierSchNutztV).

Furthermore, the Agreement on the Further Development of Minimum Requirements for the Keeping of Muscovy ^Ducks4 applies in Lower Saxony. This is a further development of the agreement that was in force until 2005.

The so-called ‘Musk Duck Agreement’ is an agreement between the Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (ML) and the Lower Saxony Poultry Industry Association (NGW)⁴. It is also used as a guide in other federal states outside Lower Saxony.

Rather than ‘adapting’ the animals to their environment through measures such as surgical interventions, the aim is to ensure that the environment meets the animals’ needs.

Following the revision of the Muscovy Duck Agreement, and with the associated end of the exemption for beak trimming from 2014 in Lower ^Saxony4, the rearing of parent stock in Germany has come to a complete standstill. As a result, only chicks that have been beak-trimmed abroad are now fattened.

Under Section 2(3) ^of the Animal ^{Welfare Act (}TierSchG⁾¹, the keeper must possess the relevant knowledge and skills to ensure the animals are provided with appropriate nutrition, care and behaviourally appropriate housing, and must demonstrate this expertise to the competent authority upon request.

According to the ^{Muscovy Duck Agreement4}, based on the Council of Europe’s recommendations, the following constitutes proof of expertise:

• a successfully completed qualification as a farmer or livestock manager

with a specific focus on poultry farming (e.g.

“Inter-farm poultry training” at the Ruthe Teaching and Research Farm of the

Hanover University of Veterinary Medicine Foundation, or the Poultry Research and Training Centre, Kitzingen State Farm), or

• the independent rearing of muscovy ducks in at least three fattening cycles without any objections from the relevant authorities, as well as verifiable participation in specialist conferences or courses, or
• the rearing of Muscovy ducks in at least four fattening cycles under expert supervision, without any objections from the relevant authorities, or
• completion of a training course recognised by the competent authority

In the event of doubts regarding expertise, the competent authority may require proof of such expertise to be provided during a technical consultation. This document is intended to impart knowledge in the field of muscovy duck rearing. It may be used as part of inter-farm training or for self-study, e.g. as preparation for the aforementioned technical consultation.