Foie gras production requires force-feeding geese and ducks to create pathologically enlarged livers, a practice banned in the UK and many countries but still widely imported and sold.
Foie gras production is among the most clearly identified forms of deliberate animal cruelty in commercial food production. The force-feeding process causes obvious physical suffering - birds show avoidance behaviors, labored breathing, and difficulty walking. The liver pathology it creates would be classified as disease in any other context. The moral inconsistency of banning production while permitting imports undermines the UK's stated animal welfare values.