Farmed geese are highly intelligent, social birds. Foie gras production and conventional down collection raise serious welfare concerns in the goose farming sector.
Farmed goose welfare involves two distinct but overlapping concerns. Foie gras production — force-feeding using metal tubes into the esophagus to induce fatty liver disease — causes distress and liver pathology that constitute serious welfare violations regardless of country of origin. Live plucking of geese for their down feathers causes pain comparable to human hair removal against follicle orientation, and may leave wounds susceptible to infection. Both practices continue commercially despite the availability of welfare alternatives: pre-slaughter down collection and synthetic alternatives to live-plucked down. Consumer awareness drives the market transition toward higher-welfare options.