Before you choose foie gras...
The production of foie gras
Really ... is it worth it?
Foie gras, or ‘fatty liver’, has long been considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, but its mode of production remains a matter of controversy. To produce foie gras, geese or ducks typically have metal tubes forced down their throats, and are force-fed for up to three weeks, at the end of which their livers will have enlarged to six to ten times their normal size.The force-feeding procedure involves pushing a feeding pipe into the bird’s crop, in order to deliver an abnormally large (up to five times normal) amount of feed, consisting of mashed maize and fat. This procedure can lead to a range of negative welfare outcomes for the birds, such as stress and discomfort, physical injury to the birds’ internal organs, overheating due to the large intake of calories, and also death. In fact, mortality rates among force-fed birds can be up to 20 times as high as that of normally-fed birds.
Force-fed birds also tend to avoid feeding areas and handlers, which indicates that they find the force-feeding procedure to be unpleasant. Moreover, foie gras birds are often housed in small, barren cages, in conditions that restrict their freedom of movement, and prevent them from carrying out even basic behaviours such as turning around and wing-flapping.
The author therefore recommends that current foie gras production methods be discontinued, unless drastic changes are made to the feeding, handling and housing regimes used in the industry.
Duncan, I. (2009) The scientific case against foie gras. BC SPCA, Vancouver, Canada
Source: RSPCA Animal Welfare Science Update Issue No. 25 July 2009.
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