A tour of French production regions
Foie gras producing regions
Traditional palmiped farming exists in every part of France, but the foie gras industry is concentrated in five main regions:
- Aquitaine;
- Midi-Pyrénées;
- Pays de la Loire;
- Poitou;
- Brittany.
These regions have perfect weather conditions for the time the animals need to spend outdoors and for local maize production, an essential resource for feeding the ducks and geese.
French duck and goose foie gras production is 95% duck and 5% goose.
Aquitaine, which includes the Dordogne (Périgord), the Landes and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques is the leading foie gras producing region.
Next are the Midi-Pyrénées region (Gers) followed by the Pays de la Loire, Poitou and Brittany.
Foie gras production in Alsace is a little more secretive, but Alsatian culinary tradition has made a significant contribution to the international renown of French foie gras. Alsace also has a long tradition of goose fattening.
The foie gras industry supports about 30,000 families and employs 100,000 people.
The men and women working in the foie gras industry help to maintain activities in rural areas. Their role is essential to regional economies, regional distribution and the preservation of French farming, cultural heritage and tourism.
