Welfare aspects of foie gras production

Extract

The production of foie gras (fat liver) by force-feeding geese was described by Olivier de Serres in 1619 but the practice probably has very much earlier origins. In recent times most foie gras production has involved ducks rather than geese, and a hybrid of the muscovy duck, Cairina moschata, and domestic duck, Anas platyrhynchos, called a mulard, is the favoured bird. The males of these hybrids are used for foie gras production and the smaller females for meat. In 1995, 0.8 million geese and 18 million ducks were reared for foie gras in France. Smaller numbers of birds are reared in Belgium and Spain but there is also production in other parts of the world including Israel. Foie gras is eaten in many European countries and there is also a significant export market to Japan.