Goose farming ranges from extensive pasture systems to intensive foie gras production involving force-feeding. Understanding these systems helps consumers distinguish between very different welfare outcomes for farmed geese.
Farmed goose welfare varies enormously by production system. Geese on extensive pasture systems with grass grazing, water access for preening, and social group housing can have excellent welfare — they are well-adapted to outdoor production and their natural behaviours are easily expressed in this context. Foie gras production represents the opposite extreme: force-feeding via orogastric tube multiple times daily causes oesophageal trauma, impaired breathing, difficulty walking, and profound liver disease. The physiological and behavioural evidence for suffering in force-fed geese is robust and has driven bans in the majority of European countries. Consumers in countries where foie gras production is banned but importation is legal still drive demand. The existence of welfare-positive goose production makes the choice between supporting foie gras and higher-welfare goose products particularly clear.