AR-News: (US-CA) Proposed Foie Gras Ban Featured on KGO-TV

[Pam at AVAR]

Help Ban Force Feeding of Ducks in California

MEDIA WATCH Go to http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/iteam/ for the latest 
KGO-TV news report out of San Francisco on the foie gras controversy and 
the introduction of legislation to ban foie gras by Senator John Burton.

BACKGROUND
Senator John Burton (D-San Francisco) is introducing a bill that would ban 
the production and sale of foie gras in the state of California. The 
Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) is working with a 
coalition of groups including Farm Sanctuary, Viva!USA and LA Lawyers for 
Animals, as the sponsors of this bill.

Foie gras is a high-priced food item which is made from the "fatty livers" 
of ducks and geese. To produce foie gras, birds are force fed excessive 
quantities of food several times per day through a long metal pipe to 
increase the size of their liver. By the time they are slaughtered after 
several weeks of force feeding, the ducks and geese have developed chronic 
liver disease, known as hepatic lipidosis. Their livers typically swell up 
to ten times their normal size, and many of the birds also have myriad 
other health problems due to the unnatural diet and the trauma of the force 
feeding.

We need your help to ensure that this bill is passed into law and this 
inhumane practice is ended in our state. There is only one foie gras 
producer in California (Sonoma Foie Gras), but they've already hired an 
attorney to work on their behalf and have recruited exclusive restaurateurs 
to fight for this high-priced luxury item made from diseased ducks.

Many European countries, such as Germany, Israel, Norway, Denmark and 
Poland, have already banned the force feeding of birds specifically to 
produce foie gras due to the cruelty involved. California can set a humane 
precedent in the United States by following suit.

SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS/HELP BAN FORCE FEEDING
The bill to ban foie gras does not yet have a number (it should be assigned 
by Monday) but the opposition has already sent hundreds of letters to 
Senator Burton to try to kill this bill. We will need support letters sent 
to the legislative committee members once the bill gets a number and is 
assigned to a committee. We should have that information by early next 
week. Please check back at www.avar.org for updates or email teri at avar.org 
and we'll add you to our email alert list on this issue.
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Pam Runquist
Director of Companion Animal Issues
Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights
PO Box 208
Davis, CA 95617-0208
Tel: (530) 759-8106
pam at avar.org