WASHINGTON—In a letter sent today to New York Governor George Pataki, The Humane Society of the United States threatened to sue the state for subsidizing a notorious foie gras factory farm in Sullivan County. The HSUS said that it will file a lawsuit if the state does not revoke a $420,000 subsidy to Hudson Valley Foie Gras, a factory farm that violently force-feeds birds to purposefully inflict them with a state of disease.
Despite widespread opposition to foie gras production—including Chicago's recent prohibition on the sale of foie gras—the New York State Public Authorities Control Board, in conjunction with the Urban Development Corporation, has awarded a $420,000 grant to Hudson Valley Foie Gras. The grant, funded with taxpayer money, would allow the factory farm to expand, increasing the number of ducks to approximately 325,000.
And yesterday, attorneys for The HSUS filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the state agriculture department. Filed in New York Supreme Court in Albany, the lawsuit seeks to gain records regarding foie gras production in New York.
In 2005, Assemblyman Jack McEneny (D-Albany) introduced a bill that would ban the practice of force-feeding ducks and geese in New York State. California and more than a dozen countries—including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland—have banned the production of foie gras.
And a 2004 Zogby poll indicated that nearly 80% of Americans believe that force-feeding ducks and geese for foie gras should be banned.
"New York State's support of animal cruelty is fiscally irresponsible and an affront to New York taxpayers who care about animal welfare," explained Paul Shapiro, director of the Factory Farming Campaign for The HSUS. "It's shameful that New York is funding foie gras production at a time when so many other state and local governments are enacting legislation against the abusive practice of force-feeding."
The production of foie gras is one of the most notorious practices in the world of animal agribusiness. To enlarge the birds' livers, producers force-feed them for two to four weeks, shoving a metal pipe down their throats two or three times each day. This can cause painful bruising, lacerations, sores, and organ rupture. The birds' livers become diseased and can enlarge more than ten times the normal size, making it difficult for the birds to move comfortably. Often, the birds are intensively confined in filthy warehouses.
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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 hsus.org.
