HSUS Seeks Prosecution of New York Foie Gras Producer

WASHINGTON — Today, The Humane Society of the United States is calling for the sheriff and district attorney of Sullivan County, N.Y., to investigate and prosecute foie gras producer La Belle, Inc., under New York animal cruelty laws. The plea follows a suit filed yesterday by The HSUS against several county officials regarding their refusal to disclose mandatory annual financial statements filed by the county's district attorney, who has refused to enforce state cruelty laws.

Early this year, The HSUS provided the Sullivan County district attorney with documentation of mistreatment of animals, including video footage of ill and abused animals at La Belle, an assessment by one of the top veterinarians in New York, and scientific evidence of the cruelties of foie gras production. Despite sufficient evidence to file animal cruelty charges, the district attorney's office has failed to do so, enabling La Belle to operate in violation of state laws.

The suit, filed yesterday and brought under the Freedom of Information Law, seeks to determine whether any improper influence is hindering an investigation or prosecution of the wealthy foie gras producers in that county.
 
"New York has one of the strongest animal cruelty statutes in the nation, yet evidence of massive animal cruelty at the La Belle foie gras facility is apparently being swept under the rug in Sullivan County," said Carter Dillard, director of farm animal litigation for the HSUS's Animal Protection Litigation section. "These producers have been able to operate in a county that apparently ignores state law."

The production of foie gras—French for "fatty liver"—is widely recognized both in the United States and abroad as employing one of the most notorious practices in the animal agribusiness industry: force-feeding. For weeks, birds are force-fed an unnatural amount of nutritionally deficient food delivered via a pipe thrust down their throats multiple times each day, until their livers become fattened and diseased. This force-feeding can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores, organ rupture, and even death. The birds' livers can enlarge more than ten times their normal, healthy size, making it difficult for the birds to move or breathe. Often, the birds are housed in crowded, filthy warehouses.

Two bills currently pending in the New York Assembly and Senate would ban the practice of force-feeding ducks and geese in the state. California and more than a dozen countries have banned the production of foie gras due to the cruelties inherent in force-feeding. A 2004 Zogby poll indicated that nearly 80 percent of Americans believe the practice of force-feeding ducks and geese for foie gras should be outlawed.

-30-

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research, equine protection and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The non-profit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.