It’s time to ban the f-word! - Growing popularity of Foie Gras means more misery for farm animals, says Chris Ashton

It has been estimated that each year over 25 million ducks and geese worldwide are raised for the production of foie gras. Just as battery farming of the chicken has increased the number of intensively reared souls in miserable existence, factory-scale foie production too has resulted in falling costs and an estimated 100% increase in production over the last ten years. There is now more misery for more farm animals than ever as certain people spend their consumer wealth on "luxury products" with little regard for animal welfare or cost to the environment.

Animal protection laws in Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland and Austria specifically prohibit force-feeding. In Switzerland, foie gras production is also prevented, and the practice would not be allowed in the UK. Yet France, Hungary and Bulgaria (both in the EU), Canada and now China are major producers.

In order to achieve the desired taste and texture, ducks and geese are force-fed two or three times a day with up to half a kilo of grain and fat. After two or three weeks, when the birds are ready for slaughter, their livers will have swollen to between six and ten times their natural size. A report by European Union scientists concluded that birds would die were they fed in this way for any longer.

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In modern production, the bird is typically fed a controlled amount of feed, depending on the stage of the fattening process, its weight, and the amount of feed it last ingested. At the start of production, a bird might be fed a dry weight of 250 grams of food per day, and up to 1,000 grams (in dry weight) by the end of the process. The actual amount of food force-fed is much greater, since the birds are fed a mash composed of about 53% dry and 47% liquid (by weight) - Source: Wikipedia The actual volume/weight fed will be more than this because of water added and is claimed to be up to 3kg per day (6lbs) before slaughter.

In a world where people also still starve, this practice is obscene.

In the RSPCA report, Chloe Alexander, campaigner for the RSPCA said: "Foie gras means cruelty. Foie gras is produced from the livers of geese or ducks which have been restrained and force-fed unnatural amounts of food to make their livers grotesquely fatty and enlarged.

"The RSPCA is appealing to consumers not to buy it. If you buy foie gras, you are funding the unnecessary suffering of geese or ducks.

"We are also going to write to chefs, such as Gordon Ramsey, and ask them to sign our pledge not to sell it in their restaurants."

On most farms a pneumatic pump is used to cram vast amounts of food into the bird. A tube attached to the pump is pushed down the bird's throat and the food injected in two or three seconds. A single operator can force-feed more than a thousand birds in less than an hour.

Studies have shown that this treatment can cause terrible injuries to the birds, including bruising and tearing of the neck. As the forced-feeding regime continues, the trauma becomes more and more severe. After one week, many may develop acute enteritis and diarrhoea. Their neck feathers may become curled and sticky. Their livers gradually expand in size making it difficult for the ducks or geese to move or even breathe properly. Observers at foie gras farms have reported that ducks pant constantly during the later stages of the forced-feeding cycle. Their increasing weight can cause blisters to their breasts as they rub against the cage floor. Birds also die from asphyxiation if the feeder accidentally pushes food into the windpipe.

As well as being fed far more than they would eat naturally, the diet of foie gras birds is deliberately deficient in basic nutrients. This is to ensure that the liver accumulates so much fat that it no longer functions properly. A reduced calcium intake is also thought to contribute to the fact that between 30% and 70% of birds examined at slaughterhouses suffered from multiple bone fractures. One researcher into the foie gras industry concluded that the 'skill' of force-feeding was judging the best moment to stop before the bird died from illness. Post mortems have shown birds suffering from cardiac arrest, renal failure and liver haemorrhaging. In short, the livers are in an advanced state of disease.

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The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a long tube (20-30 cm long), which forces the feed into the animal's esophagus; if an auger is used the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds. Modern systems usually use a tube fed by a pneumatic pump; with such a system the operation time per duck takes about 2 to 3 seconds. (Source: Wikipedia) A poultry equipment catalogue from France advertises all of this equipment, including batteries of 10 cages to hold the birds captive, and various models of force feeders such as the 'Gaveuse Turbo 2000, reservoir de grand capacite doseur' This is industry is nothing but systematic, organised torture which should not be allowed to exist in a community such as the EU. People expect high welfare standards in agriculture and the practice should be outlawed.

Many supermarkets in the UK now no longer stock the product but it is available form some 'delicatessens' and 'upmarket' stores.

Opposition to this practice has occurred time and time again in the press. Why not effectively end the practice in the EU this time? Support the RSPCA appeal, write to your MP - especially Euro MPs and - and get this raised in Brussels. Send them a copy of the RSPCA Mori survey (available online) or this article from Smallholder.

If world trade and EU rules do not allow an import ban - which in itself is not enough - then go for the government's response to the recent epetition to ban foie gras production at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/banfoiegras/ 'The best way for the Government to improve animal welfare standards is to give a lead at home and internationally. The Government has improved animal welfare standards in the UK which were already among the highest in the world. We have also been active both on a European and international level in trying to raise standards overall. We will continue to do so. http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/ Page11803.asp If an international lead is required, the UK lead should go further. There should be pressure to end production in the EU. That can surely be achieved through legislation in Brussels where there could be support from several countries which already have a ban.

Such a move should also be supported by the OIE. The world's Chief Veterinary Officers are now backing the move towards a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) gave its overwhelming support when it met in Paris on 25th May. Members voted for the resolution to achieve worldwide acceptance of animal welfare as an important issue and called on governments to support the goal.

Visit the WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) site http://www.wspa-international.org/ and sign the petition at http://www.wspa-international.org/animals_matter_to_me.asp Director General of WSPA, Peter Davies, said: "WSPA is delighted that the OIE is backing the Universal Declaration for Animal Welfare. This is a crucial moment in its realisation and such an important declaration of support and commitment from government veterinarians across the world.

"We will be working with them to encourage governments to improve protection for animal health and welfare. This move gives added impetus and urgency to our aim to end animal cruelty. A Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare would have a real, long-term impact on the welfare of billions of animals worldwide'. Foie gras production must come under this remit.

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