Geese are intelligent, long-lived birds whose welfare in farming systems ranges from extensive pasture-based management to the severe confinement and force-feeding practices of foie gras production.
Goose welfare spans a wide spectrum depending on production system. Extensive pasture-based goose farming can meet most natural behavioural needs — foraging, swimming, social bonding. At the other extreme, foie gras production involves systematic infliction of physiological harm to produce a product valued for its diseased liver. The veterinary consensus is clear: the gavage process causes pain, stress, and organ damage that cannot be mitigated by technique. Countries that have banned force-feeding have not suffered culinary catastrophe — alternative high-quality goose liver products exist. Live-plucking is a separate welfare concern that consumer pressure and certification standards are slowly addressing.