Foie gras – a luxury food synonymous with upscale dining, but it is also linked to extreme suffering. Last week, Open Cages published an important new investigation showing poor geese being force-fed with engine oil as lubricant on a farm in Ukraine, one of the countries that still produces foie gras. The footage, taken by a farm worker, was published in the Independent. You can read the story here.
“The practices documented here have been seen time and time again on foie gras farms, meaning that any foie gras sold in stores in the UK came from farms with similar levels of animal cruelty,” said Open Cages CEO Connor Jackson. “By allowing the sale of foie gras on our shores we are putting money in the pockets of this disgraceful industry.”

The practices documented here have been seen time and time again on foie gras farms, meaning that any foie gras sold in stores in the UK came from farms with similar levels of animal cruelty.

Foie gras is the fatty livers of geese that become up to ten times their normal size due to the fact that they are force-fed multiple times per day: a process that involves a hosepipe being thrust down the esophagus and into the stomach of these birds. These geese and ducks are fed multiple pounds of grain and fat a day, often in such large quantities that the stomachs of these birds can burst.
While geese have lifespan of up to over twenty years, the birds raised for foie gras are slaughtered after three to four months of age. This life is spent crammed in close quarters with no access to sunlight, fresh air, or the space to stand, walk, or stretch. Their heads are kept in an opening so that their necks are easily grabbed for feeding.
The production of foie gras is inhumane, and while it can no longer be produced in the UK, its importation is still legal. This is why Open Cages are campaigning to end the sale of foie gras in the UK. Please take action to help us:
  1. Sign our petition urging the UK Government to ban the sale of foie gras.
  2. Contact Secretary of State Michael Gove at [email protected] and ask him to ensure that importing of foie gras will be banned as a result of Brexit.
  3. Refuse to buy foie gras in your local restaurant and ask them to take it off the menu.
Together we can make a real difference for countless of geese and ducks.