Great News for Birds! ‘European Capital’ Strasbourg Will No Longer Serve Foie Gras at Official Events

Today, on World Day Against Foie Gras, we have excellent news for geese and ducks. After hearing from PETA France about the cruelty of foie gras production, Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian confirmed her decision to stop serving the cruelly produced pâté at all official city events – an important victory for a city once known as the foie gras capital of France.

What Is So Bad About Foie Gras?

To produce foie gras, workers grab ducks and geese by the neck, shove metal pipes down their throats, and pump massive amounts of grain and fat into their stomachs several times a day in a barbaric process known as “gavage” until their livers swell to up to 10 times their natural size, pressing against their lungs and making it hard for them to breathe. PETA exposés have revealed that the feeding pipes leave some birds so badly injured that they have holes in their necks.

This process is so cruel that the EU’s Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare recommends that the “force-feeding of ducks and geese should stop and this could be best achieved by the prohibition of the production, importation, distribution and sale of foie gras”.

Vegan Alternatives Are Readily Available

Even in France, where foie gras is part of the nation’s gastronomic and cultural heritage, the tide is turning. Notable French chefs are refusing to serve it and creating decadent faux gras recipes, such as the 100% vegan version made from mushrooms and walnuts by Michelin-starred chef Alexis Gauthier.

What You Can Do for Birds

It’s illegal to force-feed birds in the UK, and yet, it’s still perfectly legal for a product of force-feeding to be sold here. Sign our petition to urge the government to uphold the UK’s animal welfare standards by banning the importation and sale of foie gras:

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