Martin a "holy" goose
ransomed from a goose farm
The day of St Martin,
is the dying day of the stuffed geese
From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
(told by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
11 November is approaching. Do the geese on the foie gras farms already sense their imminent demise?
Many of the geese living on Gut Aiderbichl’s farms have escaped certain death before St Martin’s Day. For years they have enjoyed their freedom, the safe environment, their beautiful wooden houses in which they sleep protected overnight.
Our Martin - ransomed from a goose farm
Martin, a domestic goose, has been living a good life at Gut Aiderbichl Carinthia since 2017. He was fattened up and was rescued a few days before St Martin’s Day 2017. Martin was lucky and, as if he knew it, he chattered “The song of freedom” at the top of his voice all day long.
On goose farms, the geese live in cramped cages where movement is impossible. Up to four times a day, the animals are fed around 1000 grams of maize mash. This amount is comparable to seven kilograms of spaghetti that a person would have to eat every day.
Towards the end of the fattening period, it becomes quiet, deathly quiet in the warehouses with the fattening geese. The animals can no longer move and are in pain when breathing because the fat liver is pressing on their lungs. They gasp for air through their half-open beaks.
Foie gras is becoming more and more "out"
Many restaurateurs are increasingly convinced that good food does not depend on foi gras. A fatty liver is an organ that has been deliberately made ill and is naturally not healthy for humans either.
More and more people are rejecting products from animal fattening and favouring healthy, vegetarian or even vegan cuisine.
Ducks and geese are very social animals and good "watchdogs"
Ducks and geese are very social creatures that enjoy walking together, chattering loudly, swimming and raising their young with lots of love and care. They should never be kept alone, they become lonely and die within a very short time. As we know, geese and ducks defend their territory and if you get too close to them, you will hear some very loud chattering.
If they paw and show their little teeth, it’s probably better to put your feet up and leave. Otherwise bruises on the calves are inevitable. On St Martin’s Day, replace roast duck, roast goose and “foi gras” with a good bread dumpling with red cabbage.
Animals are my friends, and I do not eat my friends. (G. B. Shaw)
Yours sincerely, Gisela
