Ban cruel foie gras sales
aWith one hand gripping the head of the goose, the farmer pushes a long tube down its throat.
There’s no escape for the poor bird, clamped inside a metal cage, as fistfuls of corn are pumped inside it.
This force-feeding is the sickening reality of the production of foie gras pate, a process so cruel that it is banned in the UK.
But it is legal on the continent and European Union rules on the free movement of goods mean that we cannot ban foie gras imports.
So today animal welfare champions and campaigning actor Peter Egan are calling on restaurants to introduce their own boycott and stop selling it this Christmas.
Peter, star of Downton Abbey and Hold The Sunset, witnessed foie gras production in France this summer.
“The goose was terrified and looked like it was drowning while the woman massaged the corn and water down its throat into its stomach,” he said after the visit to the farm in the Dordogne.
“My feelings were best described by the two young children standing in front of me who first screamed and then recoiled in horror. It is disgusting Picture ANIMAL EQUALITY HORRIFIED A bird is force fed corn and water and its import to the United Kingdom must be banned.”
The force-feeding, called “gavage”, was filmed by Animal Equality, an international animal group fighting farm cruelty.
“We’re lobbying for an import ban on foie gras when we leave the EU, but as long as we’re in the single market that isn’t possible,” said its UK executive director, Dr Toni Shephard.
“So today we are calling on restaurants and shops to impose their own ban on this extremely cruel product.
“Ironically, many restaurants only offer foie gras on their Christmas menu as it is seen as a luxury, yet there is nothing festive about force-feeding.” The website of the producers’ group Euro Foie Gras is gloating that it is approaching the festive season in a “spirit of conquest”, with production up 50% compared to last year.
It insists that gavage is a “cultural and gastronomic tradition” and “if performed by professionals under regulated conditions, this process does not cause any suffering to the animals”.
Judge for yourself by watching the video on Mirror.co.uk.