The European Parliament voted against amendments to legislation that would have effectively banned production of foie gras.

The representatives accepted that a feeding period of 10 to 12 days with two forced meals per day “respected the animal’s biological parameters”.  Obviously the members of the European Parliament have not visited a family operated duck or goose farm where feed is forced into the crops of birds at frequent intervals producing the fatty infiltration of the liver regarded as a culinary delicacy.

Both foie gras production and fur farming have been banned in the U.K. since 2000.  The statement that “Foie gras production is based on farming procedures that respect animal welfare criteria” is a cynical denial of reality and is strongly condemned. The European Parliament decreed that cage housing of laying hens was inhumane, but apparently force feeding of ducks or geese in cages is acceptable.