Geese are farmed for meat, down feathers, and eggs across Europe and Asia, with welfare concerns including live plucking of down, restricted access to water, and the intensive production practices that have replaced traditional outdoor goose keeping in some regions.
Goose welfare concerns span a spectrum from the extreme (force feeding and live plucking) to the everyday (denial of water access and overcrowding in intensive systems). Live plucking causes acute pain and prolonged distress that is documented and indefensible — geese are restrained and their feathers pulled from follicles while fully conscious. Yet this practice persists in parts of the down supply chain, including some that supply global fashion and bedding brands. Beyond these severe practices, the systematic denial of water access to a waterfowl species causes ongoing frustration of fundamental behavioral needs. Well-managed goose farming that provides outdoor access, bathing water, and appropriate social groupings is possible and practiced by some producers.