South African ostrich farms pluck live birds, report says

South African ostrich farms are removing feathers from living birds in painful conditions to supply the fashion industry, World Animal Protection said on Monday.

The animal welfare group said an investigation with Collective Fashion Justice documented workers cornering ostriches, putting bags over their heads, and cutting and pulling out feathers without pain relief. The findings were published in a report called “Blood Feathers”, which examined commercial ostrich farms and feather-processing facilities in South Africa.

The report said farms and facilities in South Africa supplied feathers to luxury brands including YSL, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, as well as to fast-fashion company Shein. It did not say the brands carried out the plucking.

World Animal Protection said some farms cut feathers above the bloodline before pulling them from the birds' skin with pliers, and that the process was repeated on some birds every six months. It said investigators also saw injured birds, including ostriches that appeared unable to stand and others with wounds from pecking at each other's eyes and feathers.

Olivia Charlton, campaign manager at World Animal Protection, said feathers were “the new fur”. Emma Hakansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, said brands that reject fur should also reject ostrich feathers.

South Africa accounts for about 75 percent of the global ostrich market, which produces meat, leather and feathers. World Animal Protection said more than 150 tonnes of ostrich feathers were exported from South Africa in the 2024-25 season and about 150,000 ostriches were slaughtered for the feather, meat and skin trades, citing South African government data.