Foie Gras Free North: Report

The Foie Gras Free North campaign was created by a coalition of people interested in concentrating time and effort on a product deemed completely unnecessary and intolerably cruel. Over the years the case has been put for the abolition of foie gras, but there has been sporadic progress, whilst some suppliers, restaurants and delicatessens have continued to sell the product.

The purpose of the campaign is to garner support from people across the North to bring about a situation where foie gras is no longer for sale in shops or restaurants, and where suppliers decide to remove foie gras from their product listings.

When it comes to the clear cruelty involved in the production of foie gras, where geese and ducks have no room to spread their wings and no water to bathe, where they are force fed and slaughtered at such a young age, all in order to produce a diseased product that a minority of people consider a 'delicacy', it can honestly be conceived as a sick product from an ill world that commits atrocities against animals (including people) and the environment on a daily basis, and in such a uniform and consistent manner, that it has become an intrinsic part of our society. Fortunately though, there are grass roots campaigners who are willing to go beyond writing to their MPs and signing up for the Peta newsletter, and get on the streets, and get writing to the companies that support such acts of moral abandon, and encourage them to make responsible decisions based on ethics.

As the campaign has progressed it is clear to see that restaurants and shops are increasingly concerned about the negative publicity generated by their support for such cruelty, exposed by campaigners who are willing to stand up and speak the truth to passers by and customers. Foie gras has become a liability to many restaurants except those haunted by the very rich, who consider themselves beyond the attention of campaigners. Though some restaurants have had second thoughts and abandoned foie gras when faced with the facts, others have attempted to use selected 'scientific' evidence to support an irrational belief that there is no suffering or 'tolerable' suffering involved in the industry. However, it remains that much of this research is undertaken by industry stooges or scientists who give animal sentience short thrift, even when the evidence stands clearly before them. This grim determination condemns and will continue to condemn sentient beings while people continue to profit on the back of exploitation and suffering.

One of the most clear, and for a few people, most disappointing aspects of the campaign is the lack of support from politicians, beyond the usual lip service. Whilst in some areas councillors have considered banning foie gras from council property, (something quite academic as it is rarely, if ever bought in) and some have written outlining their objection to restaurants selling this product, and have raised awareness of the cruelty. However, some councils such as Leeds, have done nothing to further the cause of geese and ducks afflicted by this mild obsession from people who want to partake in this product, one which couldn't be produced in the UK on welfare grounds because force feeding is illegal.

The Labour government claims that due to liberal trade laws they cannot ban the import of foie gras to this country. This demonstrates a severe lack of political will when it comes to considering the lives of animals, indeed local councils fail to realise they also have a responsibility to animals from within their constituency, though many choose to ignore this as after all, animals don't vote.

The website

The Foie Gras Free North website contains sections for demo reports, quotes, links and the latest news alongside a number of regional sections with information on outlets currently supporting the foie gras industry. The website is updated on a regular basis, though it does not display a definitive list of outlets in the North or of nationwide suppliers.

Progress

Already, there are many restaurants across the North that have recently given up their support for foie gras. Often this has little to do with the Foie Gras Free North campaign and everything to do with local campaigners and those throughout the UK getting on with the matter of promoting the abolition of foie gras. This has been achieved by exposing the truth behind the bloated livers to customers and passers by, encouraging boycotts of the establishments, and people voicing their dismay at continued support of this barbaric practice directly to the people responsible.

For the main list of restaurants that have given up foie gras please see the ever increasing number at the website.

However, here are just a few….

Chez Jules (Chester), Chino Latino (Leeds), The Belle Epoque (Knutsford), Malmaison (Leeds), Anthony's at Flannels (Leeds), Wentbridge House hotel (Pontefract), Le Caveau (Skipton), The London Carriageworks (Liverpool), Baldwin's Omega (Sheffield), Gourmet Spot (Durham), The Baltic (Newcastle)

York is now predominantly foie gras free, as is Newcastle, recent successes in and around the Sheffield area have been of note, and Leeds as far as we are aware has now gone foie gras free.

Alongside the restaurants selling foie gras, we have also been contacting many that do not presently engage in it's sale. Therefore, increasing awareness of the campaign.

Ethical foie gras

As part of the success, it has been rumoured that apologists are placing duck liver pate on their menu instead of listing it as foie gras. Some are also pursuing what they deem as 'ethical' foie gras, but this merely confirms the brutality involved in the conventional practice, and can mean as little as a plastic instead of a metal gavage pipe. Indeed, the likes of Selfridges were recently embarrassed by admitting their attempts to secure 'ethical' foie gras (to sell alongside the really cruel version) completely failed due to a warm winter in Spain. The pressure on Selfridges to drop this public liability has since been growing, with various newspaper articles highlighting their appalling support of the product and also demonstrations appearing outside all of their stores. They are however, unwilling to communicate with Foie Gras Free North over their support for 'torture in a tin'. This clearly demonstrates a lack of corporate maturity.

It is obvious that there is no such thing as 'ethical' foie gras, this blatantly unnecessary product serves only as a perceived 'delicacy'. The 'delicacy of despair' always involved premature slaughter and the commodification of animals, the value of these geese and ducks is only in their livers, their own lives have no value beyond that of our imposed economic system.

We are campaigning to change this concept, that not only causes suffering to ducks and geese, but to all other farm animals, those in the pet industry, circus, zoo animals and those exploited for their skins and furs.

Any support for groups outside the North?

We also contact restaurants outside the North that are the focus of a campaign, attempting to open dialogue with the owners, for example, the range of establishments in Birmingham have been contacted but are yet to reply to our questions over their support of this product. We did recently receive an e-mail from French Living in Nottingham, with a list of scientific research that they believe excuses their support for foie gras, unfortunately they chose to ignore the research that clearly shows the cruelty and suffering involved in foie gras, and also ignores our own experience that animals have an interest in their own lives, beyond providing 'food' for our tables.


Thanks for the support so far, please may it continue, and keep checking the website for further developments and information on foie gras outlets.

More information on the campaign can be found at:

www.foiegrasfreenorth.co.uk

www.myspace.com/foiegrasfreenorth