Chrissie Hynde: Don’t Get Me Wrong – I Won’t Stand For Cruelty to Geese
Rock legend Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders, is the latest celeb to passionately denounce Fortnum & Mason’s sale of foie gras. In a letter to the shop’s chief executive, Ewan Venters, she writes:
Heaven knows I am not averse to sampling the finer things in life, but I know that there is nothing fine about this product, which is made from the diseased livers of force-fed geese.
I watched footage of foie gras farms, the very farms which supply your distributor, and I saw these birds have pipes shoved down their throats several times a day in order to force grain, maize and fat into their stomachs. And for what? So that their swollen livers can be sold to the small minority of people who still think it’s acceptable to abuse animals for a fleeting flavour?
I’ll stand by you, Mr Venters, just as soon as you stop the sale of foie gras in your store. Until then, I’ll be avoiding Fortnum’s like the plague and will be encouraging my friends and family to do the same.
Chrissie’s stirring words chime with the sentiments of thousands of people from all walks of life who are appalled that Fortnum & Mason profits from foie gras cruelty, including fellow musician “Geezer” Butler of Black Sabbath and sultry screen goddess, Brigitte Bardot.
UPDATE: 10 February, 2021:
Following our decade-long campaign, high-end department store Fortnum & Mason has made the decision to stop selling cruelly produced foie gras. Read more about the victory here and sign our petition to urge the government to uphold the UK’s animal welfare standards by banning the importation and sale of foie gras:
