Farmed geese face specific welfare challenges including live plucking for down production, force-feeding for foie gras, and inadequate access to water. Addressing these issues requires both regulation and consumer action.
Geese are intelligent, social birds whose welfare needs are poorly served by intensive production systems. The most egregious practices, live plucking and force-feeding, cause acute pain and chronic distress respectively. But even geese raised without these practices often lack adequate water access for bathing, appropriate social group management, and outdoor access. Consumer choice and legislative pressure are both necessary to drive improvement across the range of welfare compromises in goose production.