Foie Gras: a Disease, Not a Delicacy [1]
Submitted by Anne Landman [2] on
Former James Bond star Roger Moore, now 83 years old, has created a YouTube video [3] on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [4] showing cruel treatment and torturous force-feeding of ducks and geese to create the culinary French delicacy foie gras. Literally translated, "foie gras" means "fatty liver." The birds are force-fed through long tubes to fatten their livers, a procedure that gives the birds a liver disease similar to cirrhosis in humans. After three months of force-feeding, the sickened geese are killed for their swollen livers. Fattened goose liver sells for around a hundred Euros a pound in France, and more during the holidays. Foie gras farms, and the force-feeding of the birds is so cruel that many countries around the world have banned it, including Israel, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. In 2004 California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger signed a bill prohibiting the production and sale of foie gras in the state of California. But many restaurants still serve it, including the Belgian fast food chain Quick, which will be offering its French customers [5] a hamburger served with a slice of foie gras in the days leading up to Christmas. Quick notwithstanding, Moore's video has had some success. It persuaded [6] British department store Harvey Nichols to remove foie gras from its fancy restaurant menu.