Foie gras is no 'delicacy', it's disgusting and cruel and should be banned – Hayley Matthews

An email came in last week from Animal Equality about foie gras. How anyone can call this disgusting cruelty a “delicacy”, I have no idea.

A farmer force-feeds grain to a duck in southern France as part of the foie gras production process (Picture: Pascal Parrot/Getty Images)

If you’ve never heard of it, foie gras is a food produced by force-feeding ducks and geese so that their liver is particularly fatty. It is outrageously cruel and needs to end now.

I was hoping for good news in the email. However, it was about a recent vote that took place in the EU Parliament. The motion, which passed, stated that “the production of foie gras is based on farming practices that respect animal welfare criteria”.

I don’t think anyone could say shovelling a massive amount of food, several times a day, down the throats of geese and ducks, can ever in a million years be considered “respectful".

But the motion claimed “the fattening phase, which lasts on average between ten and 12 days, with two feedings per day, corresponds to the biological parameters of the animals”. Erm, no it doesn’t, never in a million years!

So basically, because ducks and geese in their natural environment would normally eat twice a day anyway, force-feeding them vast quantities of food, twice a day is deemed acceptable to the EU Parliament.

But what they failed to take into account is that the food intake of ducks and geese actually varies a lot. This is mainly because when living in nature, they spend a large part of their time foraging for food which can vary from a lot to a little. They’re not gorging on large quantities of food several times a day.

With force-feeding known to cause severe distress and physical harm to ducks and geese, how is it possible to put the love of eating fatty liver, above the welfare of such gentle, majestic birds? For me, it isn’t.

I just can’t understand how people can eat foie gras knowing how brutal and incredibly cruel the force-feeding process is. It makes me feel ill.

Workers will pump approximately 450g of food (95 per cent corn, five per cent lard), down the birds throat within the space of three seconds. I know this sounds upsetting but it’s true and is done with no gentleness – a 20-30cm metal tube is put directly into their stomach.

The poor birds suffer from respiratory problems and have difficulty standing. Walking, if their tiny cages allow it, is almost impossible. The entire thing is utterly heart-breaking.

Not to mention the birds get so heavy that they can’t get to water points and die of dehydration. I’ve had friends who eat foie gras get very touchy with me when I’ve shared details of the horrific industry. I get touchy when I know they still eat it, knowing full well how awful it is.

I felt a sense of hope when I saw the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation officially disapproves of force-feeding in foie gras production due to strong concerns around animal welfare.

I also have hope when Animal Equality reports how they’re fighting for a foie gras ban in the UK and US. The news that they’re making waves in the EU as well definitely shows the feeling towards this awful industry is finally going in the right direction. Well done Animal Equality. Thank you for being their voice.