Current Press Releases

Boston Hearing Set to Discuss Banning Production and Sale of Foie Gas in Massachusetts

Boston, MA - September 9, 2005 - On Monday, September 12 at 1:00 p.m., a public hearing will be held at the State House in Boston to discuss Senate Bill 498 (SB 498), which would ban the production and sale of foie gras in Massachusetts. Senator Susan C. Fargo introduced SB 498 earlier this year and will be present to speak at the hearing. Holly Cheever, DVM, an expert who has visited foie gras facilities, as well as Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary, the leading farm animal protection organization in the United States will testify in support of the bill. Other supporters of the bill include Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) as well as restaurant owners and Massachusetts farmers.

Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary stated, "All animals, including those exploited by the industry deserve to be treated with respect. Force-feeding birds and causing their livers to expand up to ten times their normal size is inhumane and outside the bounds of acceptable conduct."

According to a 2004 poll conducted by Zogby International, more than three in four voters nationwide agree that the process of force-feeding ducks and geese to produce foie gras should be banned by law in the United States. Outside of the U.S., foie gras production is banned in at least a dozen European countries, as well as Israel, once the world's third-largest producer of the product. Last year, California became the first state in the U.S. to ban the production and sale of foie gras. This year, Illinois has similar pending legislation to ban foie gras cruelty. Lawmakers are holding a public hearing on Tuesday, September 13 to discuss these measures.

Foie gras, a French term meaning "fatty liver," is the enlarged, diseased liver of ducks or geese that are force-fed as a pipe is shoved down their throats several times daily. These birds are forced to ingest amounts of food far in excess of what they would eat in the wild. In a matter of weeks, their livers expand up to ten times their normal size until they reach the diseased state of "hepatic lipidosis," in which they no longer function properly. It is this diseased, fatty mass that is sold as foie gras.

Additional information about foie gras production, legislation banning foie gras production, as well as a list of restaurants and retail establishments - including 110 in Massachusetts - that have pledged to not serve the product, can be found at http://www.NoFoieGras.org.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.