Your monthly gift is matched for a year—multiply your impact today. Donate now
News
Get the latest news and updates from Animal Equality

California Ban on Foie Gras Reinstated by Court

An unanimous decision by a panel of three judges reinstated the ban on foie gras in the US state of California.
September 17, 2017 Updated: April 24, 2025
Head,Bird,Water,Beak,Ducks, geese and swans,Liquid

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


Latest News
June 18, 2025

Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, pledged to eliminate cages from its global egg supply chain. With the deadline looming, advocates are asking: will it follow through?
June 24, 2025

What really happens behind closed farm doors? Investigators uncovered cows chained by their noses, shocked with electricity, and separated from their newborns moments after birth.
May 29, 2025

As part of a coalition, Animal Equality helped put animal protection on Brazil’s climate agenda—shaping national policy for years to come.