Foie gras, short for pâté de foie gras, is a French word for a French cuisine delicacy
obtained from the liver of a specially fattened duck or goose. The liver comes from
ducks or geese after undergoing a feeding process known as gavage.
According to the Oxford English dictionary, gavage means administering food or drugs
by force, especially to an animal, typically through a tube leading down the throat to the
stomach. This practice has been scrutinized in-depth and classified as cruel and
unfitting for any animal to go through. Foie gras is regarded as a very delectable meal in
Europe and considered a luxury in the United States. Where did these animals go
wrong? That animals are helpless gives us no liberty to subject them to such harsh
conditions because we want to have a good time.
How is Foie gras produced?
The development of foie gras involves force-feeding these birds (ducks and geese) with
grain and fat using a 15 to 25 cm pipe inserted into their esophagus hence delivering
the food directly to the stomach for 12 to 15 days. It is usually an outrageous amount of
food given a day. The male ducks are pumped up to 1 kilogram of food daily, while the
geese are fed at least three times daily and receive up to 2 kilograms a day. This
amount surpasses what these animals would voluntarily eat domestically. During the
fattening period, the animals are in individual cages or group pens. The force-feeding
causes the liver, the organ responsible for body metabolic activities, to become
diseased due to overactivity and consistent fatty deposition. As a result, the liver
enlarges up to 10 times its original size. This enlarged liver is foie gras and is on the
menu of many restaurants as a special delicacy.
Effects of foie gras production on ducks and geese
It is no surprise that such a gruesome process has some adverse effects on its victims.
First, the continuous capture, restraint, and quick insertion of the feeding pipe can result
in repugnance and distress during force-feeding and afterward. Force-feeding can also
cause the esophagus to become distended and predisposes the bird to pain and
oesophageal injuries. Other internal injuries, breathing problems, and painful infections
may occur.
The enormous livers of the birds make their abdomens distend; this poses difficulties in
standing. They may become irritable and pull out their feathers or attack one another
out of stress.
The ban on force-feeding in some countries
Foie gras production is deemed cruel and outright inhumane hence it has been banned
in about 16 countries. With the action of Animal Equality, countries such as Israel, India,
and the United Kingdom, which used to produce or import foie gras from large farms in
France and Spain, have now instituted a nationwide ban on foie gras. India was the first
country to stop the production plus the importation of foie gras. In the United Kingdom,
though production is banned, importation of foie gras is still legal. According to Animal
Equality, almost 250,000 ducks and geese in France, Spain, and Hungary are fed
forcefully and killed to meet the U.K’.s demand for foie gras. It shows that even though
there is a ban on foie gras production in the U.K., they still support the cruel practice in
other countries.
What we can do to end the cruel practice?
A lot has been done and is still ongoing in banning the production and sale of foie gras;
we can do more. We can start by raising awareness of this practice; social media
platforms are good places to increase the knowledge of the public about it. We need to
speak up against the cruel act. We should be bold enough to take a stand and be
courageous in speaking against restaurants that still serve this harsh meal.
Furthermore, petitions written to state governments in different countries and bills
passed to ban the production and importation of foie gras will go a long way. It is crucial
to not only ban its production but also to ban the importation of this product. If there are
no demands, geese and ducks will not be fed forcefully and slaughtered to meet their
need.
Sources say that there are alternative ways of producing foie gras other than force-
feeding (gavage). Two farmers in Spain: Sousa and Labourdette, decided in 2013 to
market a natural and moral way of making foie gras. Sousa and Labourdette obtained
their product from wild geese who arrive in Spain once a year and stuff themselves with
large quantities of acorns and olives before moving South for winter. Such an alternative
method does not pose any threat to the health of the animals and will not likely not
result in impaired liver function. There will also be decreased mortality and discomfort
for the animals.
Finally, as the word gets out, more people become aware of this cruel practice and will
start querying how foie gras is made and eventually ditch the meal. It will contribute to
its ban in more countries.