PHOTOS: Force-Feeding Outside Fortnum & Mason

Could you eat 20 kg of corn in one day? That’s the human equivalent of what ducks and geese typically have rammed down their throats every single day on foie gras farms.

It can be hard to visualise exactly how much food this is, so we decided to stage a graphic demo that illustrates both the grotesque quantities of grain that birds are forced to swallow and the violent way in which force-feeding occurs.

Today, a valiant PETA supporter volunteered to kneel outside Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly store and be “force-fed” through a tube to represent what animals on foie gras farms endure. They are fed and fed and fed until they become sick, with their livers swelling to up to 10 times their natural size. After the birds are killed, the diseased organs are turned into a vile fatty pâté and sold by stores such as Fortnum & Mason – although most other companies in the UK refuse to stock it.

Uri Geller recently suggested that the company’s CEO, Ewan Venters, must have a psychological block preventing him from feeling compassion towards the geese who are tortured for foie gras. This event should help him grasp the horrific reality of what “gavage”, or force-feeding, means for the terrified animals.

We need your help to get foie gras taken off Fortnum & Mason’s shelves. Please take a moment to send a message to Venters here: www.stopfortnumandmasonfoiegrascruelty.com