Animal welfare groups say South African ostrich farms remove feathers from living birds with mechanical pluckers and pliers, in methods they describe as cruel and painful, FarmingPortal reports, citing a new investigation by World Animal Protection and Collective Fashion Justice.

The report, "Blood Feathers", documents workers cornering ostriches, putting bags over their heads and cutting and pulling out feathers without pain relief. Some farms cut feathers above the bloodline, while they are still growing and supplied with blood, and then pull the stumps out with pliers, repeating the process on some birds every six months, the groups say. They also report injured birds unable to stand and wounds from pecking.

South Africa accounts for about 75% of the global ostrich market, which produces meat, leather and feathers. The groups say farms and processors supplied feathers to brands including YSL, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Shein, and that the findings challenge claims that fashion feathers are simply collected during moulting.

Citing South African government data, World Animal Protection said more than 150 tonnes of ostrich feathers were exported in the 2024-25 season and about 150,000 ostriches were slaughtered for the feather, meat and skin trades.

"Feathers are the new fur," said campaign manager Olivia Charlton. In the early 1900s, ostrich feathers were South Africa's fourth-largest export after gold, diamonds and wool. The report does not include a response from the farms or brands named.

Photo: Michael Day / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Source: FarmingPortal