Causecast

I have a pretty simple bed. A normal mattress that begins with an ‘S’ I think (Serta, Spring Air, Sterns and Foster?), a comforter, couple of pillows and an Anaheim Ducks blanket. Yes, I’m single! How’d you know?

At any rate, I often think about getting a giant, expansive down comforter. Feathers are better, I always thought. Not anymore, though, since I read this article originally posted at The GirlieGirl Army and written by Ari Solomon.

The other day, I was listening to my favorite podcast, Vegetarian Food For Thought hosted by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. The topic of this particular episode was about down and feathers – as in your down coat, your down comforter, pillows, feather boa, even your seemingly innocuous feather duster. It’s an area of animal exploitation that is rarely discussed, and after this podcast, I understood why.

First let’s be clear about what animals we’re talking about when we discuss down and feathers. Both come from ducks and geese. Feathers or “vaned feathers” cover the exterior of the bird and “down” refers to the feathers that grow underneath the exterior feathers. Over 70% of down/feathers used in the US come from China. The second largest exporter is Hungary. Now I know most of us have this idea that feathers naturally fall off the birds and that farmers benignly collect said feathers and that’s what becomes your fabulous comforter. Well, strap yourself in girls, because nothing could be further from the truth.

Think about it, if you’re taking feathers off a bird, there are two ways two do it: you can rip them off while they’re still alive, or you can rip them off after they’re killed. The feather industry considers feathers from live birds better quality, hence they’re more valuable. The result is that geese and ducks get “live-plucked” 3 to 4 times a year. This happens from the time they are 10 weeks until they’re 4 years old at which time they’re sent to slaughter for their flesh. Ducks and geese in the wild have a lifespan of 12-15 years. The “ripping” (as the industry calls it) of feathers causes the animals immense pain and stress. A website called AgroWeb Hungary points out that “plucking should be done in relaxing conditions, because the stress and fear in the animals could make the plucking of the feathers more difficult.” Relaxing conditions? Are these people deranged? To make matters worse, a portion of the geese used for their down/feathers in Hungary are also used to make foie gras. Yeah, you heard me, foie fucking gras. And we all know how “relaxing” that is for the birds.

Startled yet? There’s more. Continue reading at The GirlieGirl Army.

Image by Meghan Anderson, flickr