In general, special care should be taken with ducks or geese without innards. Because where the liver is missing, it is difficult to prove whether the animal was stuffed or not. It is also difficult to determine the origin of foie gras or terrines.
Live plucking and force fattening are not the only problems in geese husbandry. A large proportion of the geese from abroad are kept on intensive fattening, which means: large stocks, shorter fattening periods, highly concentrated feed and no access to bathing. However, geese are waterfowl and need the water to groom their feathers, for example. These cheap gooses are often sold under the trade name «oat fattening goose». And even if relatively species-appropriate grazing and free-range husbandry with more exercise and longer and gentler fattening periods is common in Germany, these animals usually have no access to water either. As a rule, the more expensive the geese, the better for the animals. “Oat fattening geese are sold for around EUR 5 and even less per kilo, so at such prices it is impossible to improve animal husbandry. Anyone who spends so little money on goose meat can be almost certain that it comes from problematic intensive fattening. Consumers should expect between 15 and 20 EUR per kilo for free-range geese. Organic geese cost around EUR 25 per kilo,” says Martin Rittershofen. Nevertheless, the price alone says nothing about the keeping conditions, so you should also pay attention to reliable seals and origin.
appeals to consumers, if in doubt, to avoid goose meat if the production methods cannot be traced. From an animal welfare perspective, it is generally best not to eat goose meat. However, if roast goose is a must, recommends an organic pasture goose from a regional farm. Reliable labels are also “free range”, “free range” or “grazing goose”.
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