Force-Fed Abuse |
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Paté de foie gras, translated from French, is simply "fatty liver." This so-called gourmet delicacy is the product of extreme animal cruelty.
Ducks and geese are forced-fed unnaturally large quantities of food through a metal tube that is shoved down their throats and into their stomachs two or three times each day. The extensive overfeeding causes their livers to become diseased. The livers become enlarged up to ten times their normal size, making it difficult for the birds to move comfortably and, for some, even walk.
The practice of force-feeding can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores, and even organ rupture. On some foie gras factory farms, the birds are severely restricted inside small, filthy cages where they cannot even turn around or spread their wings.
Due to animal welfare concerns, more than a dozen countries—including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel (formerly the world's fourth-largest foie gras producing nation), Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland—have prohibited the production of foie gras. In 2004, California became the first U.S. state to ban the cruel force-feeding of birds and the sale of foie gras produced from force-fed birds, effective 2012. And in 2006, Chicago—famous for its meatpacking history—banned the sale of foie gras.
The HSUS is committed to ending the misery and abuse endured by hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese to produce foie gras. Our efforts include the following:
In Legislatures
In 2004, The HSUS was part of a coalition that helped pass a bill in California to ban both the force-feeding of birds for foie gras and the sale of foie gras from force-fed birds—the first time such a bill was enacted anywhere in the United States.
And in 2006, The HSUS worked with city officials, our members, residents, and other animal protection groups to pass a ban on the sale of foie gras in Chicago.
The HSUS supports similar humane legislation in other U.S. cities and states to protect birds from cruel force-feeding.
With Corporations and Restaurants
The HSUS actively works with corporate retailers and restaurants to encourage them to leave foie gras off their store shelves and menus. For example, after working with The HSUS, Wolfgang Puck announced the implementation of a wide-ranging program to improve animal welfare in his supply chain, including not using foie gras.
In the Courts
The HSUS has a number of lawsuits pending regarding the cruelty inherent in foie gras production—as well as a foie gras producer's hundreds of violations of the Clean Water Act, taxpayer subsidization of foie gras production, and the production and sale of foie gras as an adulterated food product.
With the Public
Given the abuses inherent in force-feeding, it’s not surprising that a growing number of consumers are rejecting foie gras as too cruel to support. The HSUS provides information explaining the welfare issues with force-feeding birds for this "delicacy of despair."
See the Video
Foie Gras
Related Links
Farm Animal Legislation
Ducks Photo Gallery
Foie Gras
An HSUS Report: The Welfare of Animals in the Foie Gras Industry
An HSUS Report: The Welfare of Animals in the Duck Industry
Scientists and Experts on Force-Feeding for Foie Gras Production and Duck and Goose Welfare
