Hey Chicagoians! Get your foie gras before it's too late.

[Homebrew]

Apparently Chicago's city council has banned foie gras as of June 26. You won't be able to get your fattened goose liver for much longer.

[Phatlewt]

Is there an environmental/ecological/animal rights reason for this?

[usar_jag]

They are just following California's lead. I believe foie gras has been banned State-wide in California, but the ban will not go into effect for another 6-7 years.

Don't these people know how tasty another creature's filter can be? ;)

[stpauler]

Is there an environmental/ecological/animal rights reason for this?
Animal rights. From Wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras)The geese or ducks used in foie gras production are initially free range, feeding on grasses that toughen the esophagus. While still free roaming they are gradually introduced to a high starch diet that by itself leads to about half of the enlarged liver's size. The next feeding phase, which the French call finition d'engraissement, or "completing the fattening process", involves forced daily ingestion of feed for 12 to 15 days with ducks and for 15 to 18 days with geese. During this phase ducks are usually fed twice daily while geese are usually fed 3 times daily. The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a large tube (20 to 30 cm long) which forces the feed into the animal's esophagus. If using an auger system to drive the feed, the procedure takes about 45 to 60 seconds. If using a pneumatic system, the process takes only about 2 to 3 seconds.

[Homebrew]

Is there an environmental/ecological/animal rights reason for this?
Yes. They force feed, by tube, the geese and ducks about 4 pounds of corn mush a day to make their livers far-far fatter than a normal liver.

That's interesting that California has banned it also considering that one of only 3 producers in the U.S. is in California. The other two are in New York.

[Logan 5]

You'd think if Alderman Moore (who proposed the ban in Chicago) was serious about all of this he would have proposed banning chicken, pork and beef first, considering these industries are far, far more cruel than the foie gras industry.

Here an interesting view on this debate from the American Veterinary Medical Assoc. AVMA-Foie Gras Farm Visit (http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/sep05/050901q.asp)

[griffin1977]

You'd think if Alderman Moore (who proposed the ban in Chicago) was serious about all of this he would have proposed banning chicken, pork and beef first, considering these industries are far, far more cruel than the foie gras industry.


I know there is alot of BS invovled in the whole animal rights campaign (lets face it %90 of it is BS) but thats is not true. Mechanically force feeding an animal is significanly crueller than normal farming practices, even intensive ones.

[Stark Raven Mad]

They're geese, and their diseased, fattened livers taste absolutely wonderful. Screw their rights.

Thank og I've still got three cans in kitchen and can get more at the supermarket downtown.

[Frostillicus]

As a Chicagoan, I must say that this will impact my eating habits not at all. Why is this considered news? :confused: