Geese are farmed for meat, down and foie gras. Wild goose welfare is affected by habitat quality, hunting pressure and climate change. Both populations have distinct welfare considerations.
Goose welfare spans the range from the extreme suffering of foie gras force-feeding to the complex welfare needs of social, monogamous farmed geese, to wild geese adapting to urban environments. Force-feeding causes acute pain, stress and hepatic pathology; it is banned for production in an increasing number of countries but remains legal where welfare exemptions exist. Down from live-plucked geese represents unnecessary pain for a product that can be obtained from moulted or slaughtered birds. Wild urban geese face welfare challenges including habituation to human feeding that compromises natural foraging behaviour and creates conflict with people who feed them inappropriate foods.