Italian Television Reportage Shot in Hungary Caused Outrage

Report about feather tear in Hungary ruffles the mood in Italy. According to the Poultry Product Council, feather tear should not be prohibited, but must be controlled, Hirado.hu says.

The staff of Report investigative program of the Italian public broadcaster RAI shot in Hungary. They were trying to find out that what kind and priced goose feathers the Italian fashion company Moncler’s jackets contain.

The jackets of the luxury brand Moncler cost 800-1000 Euros, which is more than HUF 300 thousand, while the television report says the company only invests in the product a maximum of EUR 30-40. The difference is paid by the customers who know nothing about the circumstances of production.

The Italian crew, which made the Hungarian report, shot in countryside, at the goose breeders, at the feather- tearing people and the feather processing plants. During the work, the Italian staff was chased away by a Hungarian farmer with a pitchfork. According to the Italian report, 2 million geese are killed for jackets, pillows and their liver in Hungary. The jackets in the Italian shops contain feathers torn from living Hungarian geese, torturing the animals. The recordings, which were shot by hidden camera, showed in the Italian TV how the birds were being wounded while tearing their feathers as well as several sick animals could be seen.

According to Hirado.hu, the report also notes that while the Italian customers think the jackets contain expensive, high-quality Hungarian feather, in fact, the clothes are filled with low-quality feathers of various origin in Romania. Due to the luxurious jackets, the animals are tortured; production is localized so that unemployment is also high in Italy. Moreover, a worthless product is sold for thousands of euros.

The report has taken effect, Moncler’s shares plummeted, and animal rights activist announced a boycott against jackets sold by the company. The company filed a lawsuit against RAI, and another luxury firm, Prada also condemned the show. Oliviero Toscani, world-renowned photographer of Benetton criticized the report as well and said: the geese and hypocrites are those who have just now discovered that Italian fashion products are cheaply manufactured abroad, and jackets need goose feathers. “What did you think, is feather falling from the sky?” – he asked. A public campaign has launched in Italy with “We are all geese, long live the geese, perish the jackets!” exclamation.