California Ban on Foie Gras Reinstated by Court

Last Friday, September 15, an unanimous decision by a panel of three judges reinstated the ban on foie gras in California, which prohibits the production, import and sale of foie gras in the state. Even though a law banning the sale of birds that are force-fed to enlarge their livers was passed in 2004, and originally took effect in 2012, the law was overturned in 2015 after a decision of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to suspend the law passed in 2004. Now the law is reinstated. This is a huge victory for ducks and geese. Foie gras is the fatty liver that is obtained from wading birds (geese and ducks usually) who are brutally subjected to forced feeding. Force feeding is a process whereby a metal funnel filled with corn is regularly and painfully forced down the throat of the birds. It is otherwise known as the ‘gavage process.’ As a result, the size of the liver of these animals rapidly increases – reaching up to ten times the standard size, and acquiring a yellow-colored, rounded and pasty consistency.

Sign the petition to ban foie gras in the United States. The production of foie gras has been banned in Argentina, Austria, California (USA), Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Holland, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Photo: Nattapat Siripin / Shutterstock