RSS Feed
Foie Gras? Faux Pas: French delicacy banned by York City Council
York has become the first English city to ban the sale of foie gras in all council premises in the city, after a motion proposed by labour Councillor Paul Blanchard was unanimously passed by fellow councillors.
Foie Gras pate is produced from the livers of ducks and geese, where pneumatic pumps are used to force feed the birds, expanding their livers to almost ten times their normal size. It is this practice which incurs the wrath of animal rights groups and provided the basis on which Blanchard made his proposal to the council.
He said: “Using livers from birds that have been force-fed is a barbaric practice.” The councillor originally wanted to copy the action taken by Chicago, which totally banned the sale of foie gras anywhere in the city, but legal advisors pointed out that it wasn’t enforceable so he reluctantly proposed this alternative motion:
“This council believes that this intolerably cruel and painful practice is unnecessary and should end. The city of Chicago, USA, has shown tremendous compassionate leadership in their brave decision to ban foie gras in its shops and restaurants. The torture of small innocent animals should not be a matter of personal dietary choice.”
In setting the ban the council is hoping that shops, restaurants and hotels in York will follow suit and refuse to serve the French delicacy, but the council have no powers to force proprietors to apply the ban.
However, the decision has been met with derision in France, where producers of Foie Gras accuse the council of gross hypocrisy. They argue that there are many other farming practices in the UK where animals are treated far worse than the ducks and geese that they raise. They particularly point fingers at UK factory farming where millions of chickens are reared entirely within metal cages and ask why that is less brutal than their farming methods. French commentators have questioned why this issue is regarded as so important when the war against terror, suicide bombers and famine are surely more compassionate and worthy human causes.
So, even though this decision has been denounced in France, Blanchard is hoping that businesses in York will view the ban more favourably. But it remains to be seen whether the shops, restaurants and hotels in York will heed the council’s request to stop serving foie gras on their premises. What is certain is that the issue has received a lot of media coverage and may prompt other councils to take similar action.
