Geese and ducks farmed for foie gras undergo force-feeding practices condemned by animal welfare scientists worldwide. Conventional goose farming also raises significant welfare concerns.
Foie gras production represents one of the most clearly documented severe welfare practices in commercial food production. Force-feeding (gavage) bypasses normal satiety mechanisms, causes esophageal trauma, respiratory difficulty as the enlarged liver compresses lungs, and significant metabolic distress. The birds cannot walk normally and show severe lethargy in the final stages before slaughter. The practice is not a matter of welfare interpretation — it causes objectively measurable pathology and suffering. Beyond foie gras, conventional goose farming raises welfare issues: live plucking for down, social deprivation in solitary or small-group confinement, and inhumane slaughter methods. Consumer rejection of foie gras has been one of the most effective animal welfare campaigns of recent decades.