Farmed Goose Liver Production Ethics

Foie gras production involves force-feeding geese and ducks to enlarge their livers, a practice widely condemned as causing severe welfare harm and banned in many countries.

Key Facts

Foie gras production involves inserting a tube down the throat to deliver large quantities of feed rapidly
The process, called gavage, is repeated multiple times daily in the weeks before slaughter
Birds develop hepatic steatosis, a pathological enlargement of the liver up to ten times normal size
Force-feeding causes distress, oesophageal trauma, difficulty breathing, and locomotion impairment
Foie gras production is banned in the UK, Australia, India, and many other jurisdictions
Import bans remain politically contested despite strong welfare evidence against the practice

Welfare Considerations

Scientific evidence consistently shows that foie gras production causes severe and prolonged welfare suffering. Force-feeding overrides the natural satiety mechanisms of birds, causing pain at feeding, oesophageal damage, and systemic illness from extreme hepatic steatosis. Affected birds show difficulty walking and breathing as enlarged livers press on surrounding organs. The process constitutes a systematic infliction of suffering for a luxury food product. There is no welfare-compatible method of producing traditional foie gras, making a production ban the only effective welfare intervention.

What You Can Do

Refuse to purchase or consume foie gras and avoid restaurants that serve it
Support campaigns for import bans on foie gras in countries where production is prohibited
Engage with certification schemes and supermarkets to ensure no foie gras is sold through their supply chains
Donate to organisations lobbying for the global elimination of force-feeding in poultry production
Educate others about the welfare evidence underpinning bans on foie gras production