Foie Gras: Delicacy From Inhumane Practises

Foie gras [FWAH GRAH] which means "fatty liver", is a French delicacy which is created by a technique called "gavage". New York State is trying to pass a law, which is flawed, to stop this inhumane treatment...but not until 2016!

Yesterday, I received an email from American Humane Association to support a bill being introduced to the Senate to prohibit the inhumane production of 'foie gras'. Upon doing a little digging, I found out that this bill has some flaws, that would let the production of foie gras to continue until 2016. This is how 'foie gras' is produced: To fatten these birds, they are force fed by putting a tube down their throats into the esophagus. The feed is corn mash, and this feeding begins 1-1/2 to 2 weeks before slaughter and happens several times a day. The result is that the liver becomes ten times it's normal size. However, these birds can die before slaughter because of several different causes. Force feeding like this can result in

"severe pain, diarrhea, difficulty walking and sometimes even death."

They can also die from ruptured throats or bacterial infections or suffocate on their own vomit. Those that survive, are then slaughtered for their liver. The delicacy: After the liver is removed, it can be fixed whole, made into a mousse, a parfait or even a pate, and is usually combined with some other "comestible, such as toast or steak". The photo above has pickled pear as it's accompaniment. The flawed Bill: From the email that I received, it says this:

State Sen. Frank Padavan (R-District 11) has introduced Senate Bill 1463 to prohibit the inhumane practice of force-feeding birds -- a method commonly used to produce foie gras. Assemblyman Michael Benjamin (D-District 79) has introduced identical legislation (Assembly Bill 6277) in the State Assembly. It’s important to note that S.B. 1463 and A.B 6277 would not ban foie gras -- they would instead ban the inhumane production of this food.

The site that the email link takes you to is here. Okay, here is where things get interesting. The Bills in question differ from source to source, which is what is confusing. In the source that I used for the basis of this piece, it says this:

"Assembly Bill (AB) 6212, introduced by Assemblyman John J. McEneny and Senate Bill (SB) 3330, introduced by Senator John Bonacic , suggests that it will ban the production of foie gras in the state of New York, however, this is not the case."

Instead of actually banning the production of foie gras, it will allow it until the year 2016.

"There are no limitations, restrictions on the practice, nor are there any penalties for continuing it whether they be civil or criminal. Instead of promoting animal welfare as intended, AB6212 and SB3330 benefits the foie gras industry, which includes New York’s Hudson Valley Foie Gras, one of only two major commercial producers of foie gras in the United States."

Even after 2016, there are no criminal repercussions, and the fine if someone caught is only $1000. So much for laws to ban the production of foie gras and saving these poor birds a horrible death. With this obvious confusion, I know I can't very well support either source, because it's a case where it's not a cut and dry decision. As far as I can tell, neither is banning this practise any time soon. For any of you that can understand this better than I, I welcome your thoughts and comments! Wikipedia