Fortnum & Mason: Giving Two Fingers to British Animal Welfare Laws

Posted by Dan on March 2, 2013 | Permalink

Black Sabbath bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler called on his fans to boycott Fortnum & Mason since it shamefully clings to sales of foie gras – a product so vile that it is illegal to produce in the UK and is banned from Royal menus. The rock-‘n’-roll legend has also written to Fortnum’s chief executive, Ewan Venters, urging him to remove the controversial product from the store’s shelves. “I’ve been a musician for most of my life, and I’m not afraid to make some noise, especially when it comes to issues of cruelty to animals”, says Butler. “I’ll therefore be urging my family, friends and fans to stay away from Fortnum’s … until you stop selling that vile foie gras.” Butler also asks Fortnum’s boss, “[D]o you really want to give two fingers to British animal welfare laws by being one of the only remaining retailers to sell this ‘torture in a tin’?”

Geezer’s scathing criticism comes after PETA showed him undercover video footage, narrated by acting legend Sir Roger Moore, which exposes terrible abuse on foie gras farms supplying Fortnum & Mason – including at the abattoir, where birds had knives plunged into their throats without prior pre-stunning, in apparent contravention of both UK and French law.

During foie gras production, huge amounts of grain are pumped into the stomachs of geese through metal pipes, which are rammed down their throats several times a day. Their distended livers – which can swell to up to 10 times their normal size – press against their lungs, causing them to pant constantly. Veterinarians and avian experts agree that there is no humane way to produce foie gras. Animal protection groups – including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Compassion in World Farming, Animal Defenders International, Animal Aid, Viva!, Four Paws, One Kind, Save Me and the International Veterinary Society – have all joined PETA in calling on Fortnum & Mason to stop selling foie gras.