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  • Bernard Lavergne force-feeds his geese for the production of foie gras, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.<br /> <br /> He has been an independant producer of foie gras, a French culinary delicacy, for 30 years. Foie gras is made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened through 'gavage', the force-feeding of maize to the birds.
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  • A goose in a force-feeding enclosure, La Ferme du Treil, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.<br /> <br /> The farmer, Bernard Lavergne, buys geese when they are 16 weeks old. Force-feeding begins immediately, with feeds given three times a day, every day. At the end of a 3 week period, the birds are culled for the preparation of foie gras.
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  • Bernard Lavergne prepares maize meal to force-feed his geese, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010. <br /> <br /> Maize is mixed with hot water, oil and salt, to aid digestion. From the feeding of his geese to the production of foie gras products, Bernard avoids using any artifical substances, such as additives or preservatives. He believes in producing a pure and natural end product.<br /> <br /> Feeding the geese yellow maize gives desired colour to the foie gras.
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  • Bernard Lavergne force-feeds his 80 geese one by one in a building adapted for this purpose, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010. <br /> <br /> The cages enable him to easily take hold of each goose from the outside and slide their neck into a gap in the door. This exposes their head and neck for force-feeding.
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  • A goose being force-fed, La Ferme du Treil, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.<br /> <br /> A tube is inserted into the bird's oesophagus and maize mash is pumped down the tube. Farmer Bernard Laverge massages the goose's neck to encourage ingestion. The process takes less than a minute per bird.<br /> <br /> At the start of the force-feeing programme, each goose receives 300g of maize per day. By the end of the three week feeding period, the daily quantity of maize fed has risen to 1.4 kg. An average goose weighs between 7 and 8 kg.
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  • Geese gather towards the only outdoor air vent in the building where they are kept for force-feeding, La Ferme du Treil, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.<br /> <br /> The interior is dim, fluorescent strips give just enough light to conduct the force-feeding. Darkness keep the birds calm. A radio plays constantly, to cut out external noise and further subdue the geese. Naturally nervous animals, if the geese panicked, they could easily injure themselves in their cages. Hematomas are to be avoided as the meat could not then be sold.
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  • Bernard Lavergne with one of his geese just after force-feeding, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.<br /> <br /> "People have a bad idea of the force-feeding concept. A force-fed animal doesn't suffer. You need to understand that if animals suffered, they wouldn't get fat. They would die. They simply wouldn't absorb the food." <br /> <br /> Bernard explains that force feeding is based on natural processes in migratory geese. Such birds have a great capacity for weight gain, particularly of the liver, in preparation for long migratory crossings.
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  • The entrance to the building where geese are housed for force-feeding, La Ferme du Treil, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.<br /> <br /> Bernard Lavergne's farm is known for its high quality foie gras. His foie gras pates, confits, and other products are sold at gourmet food fairs and to private clients across France. The farm produces around 80 kg of goose foie every year.<br /> <br /> A 400 g pot of whole foie gras sells for 48EUR. The current economic crisis has not had any impact on Bernard's sales.
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  • Bernard Lavergne, independent producer of foie gras, poses for the photographer with one of his force-fed geese, Courbiac de Tournon, France, Monday, November 22, 2010.
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Force-Feeding of Geese for Foie Gras, France

Force-feeding of geese for the production of foie gras by Bernard Lavergne at his farm 'La Ferme du Treil', Courbiac de Tournon, Lot-et-Garonne, France, 22 November 2010
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All images © 2004-2012, Rebecca Marshall. All rights reserved. Please do not use content without prior written permission.
Editorial and corporate photographer, Nice / Cannes / Monaco, South of France. Currently in .