Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their livers, and is banned in the UK and over a dozen other countries due to the severe welfare suffering the process causes.
The welfare harm of foie gras production is among the most extensively documented in animal agriculture. Force-feeding causes esophageal damage, impaired liver function, difficulty walking from the enlarged liver pressing against the legs, and severe respiratory distress. Ducks in gavage pens are unable to engage in normal water-bathing behaviour. Scientific committees including the EU's Scientific Committee on Animal Health concluded that force-feeding is inherently detrimental to bird welfare. The UK ban on production is undermined by continued import of foie gras from countries where it remains legal; import restrictions following Brexit have been delayed, maintaining this welfare inconsistency.