Geese farmed for foie gras undergo force-feeding that causes liver enlargement and acute distress, while down production from geese and ducks raises concerns about live plucking and slaughter conditions.
Foie gras production causes welfare harm through a process so clearly aversive that it has been banned in a majority of EU countries on animal welfare grounds. The force-feeding process — holding a bird and inserting a tube into its throat to deliver large amounts of feed directly to the oesophagus — is acutely distressing for an animal with a strong aversion to throat contact. The resulting liver disease is the product itself. Down production welfare concerns are different but also significant: live plucking from conscious birds causes evident pain and stress, and the scale of the down supply chain — largely from China without welfare certification — means that most down-filled products involve animal welfare harm that is invisible to consumers. RDS certification addresses the worst abuses but requires vigilant supply chain scrutiny.