Goose farming ranges from extensive traditional systems to intensive force-feeding for foie gras. Welfare across these systems varies enormously.
Goose welfare spans an enormous range depending on production system. Extensive traditional goose farming with pasture access, social housing, and water access represents genuinely high welfare for these wide-ranging social birds. Foie gras production represents the opposite extreme — force-feeding to produce pathological liver enlargement causes esophageal damage, movement difficulty, respiratory distress, and mortality, representing unjustifiable suffering for a luxury product. Live plucking for down — practiced in some Eastern European countries — causes acute pain and distress. The responsible down standard (RDS) and other certifications require that down comes from birds that were not live-plucked or force-fed. Consumer avoidance of foie gras and certified responsible down products represents effective market-based advocacy for goose welfare.