Filename: WAM34179 Headline: A forced-fed mulard duck lies dead on the bare floor of a group enclosure inside a foie gras production farm. Undisclosed location, Sort-en-Chalosse, France, 2023. Pierre Parcoeur / We Animals Description: This artisanal family farm in the Landes department of southwestern France produces duck foie gras and a variety of other animal products. According to the farm's website, the ducks are raised outdoors and are force-fed in the traditional way with corn grown on the farm to create an authentic foie gras product. At least two dead individuals were visible inside during the visit and birds mature enough for force-feeding were confined to small barren pens. Foie gras, derived from the enlarged livers of ducks or geese, is a specialty food defined under French law as being specifically fattened through the controversial practice of "gavage," which involves force-feeding via a tube. In 2006, the product was officially recognized as a part of France’s "protected cultural and gastronomic heritage.” A 2018 survey showed 60 percent of French people favoured banning force-feeding, yet in 2020, over 26.9 million ducks and 119,000 geese endured force-feeding on French farms to meet continued demand for foie gras. Foie gras production remains contentious, and its methods have long raised ethical concerns. Birds endure dark, stressful conditions, injuries, and a clear aversion to force-feeding, a feeding method which ultimately causes their livers to enlarge up to ten times their natural size. While 22 EU states have banned this practice, it remains legal in France, Hungary, Spain, Bulgaria, and Belgium's Wallonia region as of 2022. The EU's Council Directive 98/58/EC defines what protections exist in the EU for farmed animals and states, “no animal shall be provided with food or liquid in a manner … which may cause unnecessary suffering or injury." Though this directive applies to France, it does not appear to be implemented. As of 2021, France was the world's largest foie gras producer, contributing to 70% of the EU's production and two thirds of worldwide production. Area of Focus: Food Systems,Farmed Animals Supplemental categories: Factory Farming, Ducks, Food Systems Sublocation: Undisclosed City: Sort-en-Chalosse Province/State: Nouvelle-Aquitaine Country: France Photographer/Filmmaker: Pierre Parcoeur Credit: Pierre Parcoeur / We Animals Year: 2023 License Type(s): Non-Commercial Use, Commercial Use Release status: No release WA Keywords: Size: 6084px X 4056px

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