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#Post#: 48--------------------------------------------------
For Foie’s Sake! The California Foie Gras Ban Needs to be Overtu
rned
By: JustinHsuan Date: August 24, 2012, 11:30 pm
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On July 1, 2012, it officially became illegal to produce or sell
foie gras in the state of California. For the culinarily
unenlightened, foie gras, French for “fatty liver,” is a food
product made from the liver of either a duck or a goose. Here in
the states, the animal in question is almost always duck. What
separates foie gras from plain old duck liver is that foie has
been specially fattened. It is this special unctuous quality
that makes foie gras one of the world’s most delicious and
exclusive foods. Its buttery consistency, rich texture, and
decadent flavor make it one of the most prized gourmet
ingredients in the world. Chefs all across the globe have turned
foie gras into elegant and sapid dishes such as seared lobe of
foie gras, foie gras terrine, and foie gras au torchon just to
name a few common preparations. However, the controversy over
foie gras is not about its taste, but rather about how it is
made.
Foie gras is produced from farmed ducks, normally Toulouse or
Mulard varieties. These ducks are raised from hatching and fed a
combination of protein and grain just like any other farmed
ducks for the first several months of their lives. It is at this
point that the ducks are then switched onto a special feeding
regimen. Instead of the ducks eating as they please, they are
force fed by hand using a specialized tube in a process known as
gavage. This extra food allows the ducks to add fat to their
livers, producing foie gras. The entire process lasts a matter
of seconds. It is this process that has drawn criticism from
animal rights activists. One of the most outspoken opponents of
foie gras is the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
better known as PETA. They attack the use of gavage, claiming
that the ducks are raised in tiny, cramped cages and that the
ducks frequently died of disease, mishandling, and ruptured
livers due to the force feeding. PETA paints gavage as cruel and
unnecessary, causing damage to the ducks’ esophagus, throats,
and bills. This all sounds terribly cruel but PETA is an
organization long-known for distorting facts and publicizing
blatant lies about the meat industry and other industries deemed
“cruel” to animals. Their accusations about the production of
foie gras are no less fallacious. Countless independent
reporters have visited the supposed “torture centers” such as
Hudson Valley Duck Farm and Sonoma Foie Gras Farm to see the
foie gras-making process for themselves. What they have all seen
clearly reveals PETA’s anti-foie campaign to be nothing but a
scam. Ducks are left to roam cage-free, happy and healthy. No
injured or dying ducks can be found at these farms. Gavage is
not even harmful to ducks, as they are by nature equipped with
expansive throats and would normally binge-eat in the wild
anyway. There is nothing unnatural or harmful about gavage. Foie
gras produced in other countries may not be subject to the same
standards as the ones here in our country but there is no doubt
that all foie gras produced in the United States is done so in a
humane manner.
The evident safety and humane nature of the process of gavage
and the deceitful and erroneous claims of foie gras opponents
should alone make the California ban on foie gras inane and
senseless. But if that is not convincing enough, then perhaps
the law itself will be. The law, officially entitled the “Bird
Feeding Law,” is a poorly-written mess full of vague clauses and
definitions. Enacted in 2005 with a built-in 7 year delay
before taking effect, the law does not even once specifically
mention foie gras or gavage. It prevents anyone from force
feeding birds for the purpose of enlarging the bird’s liver
beyond “normal size,” but fails to define what a normal size is.
This is merely one of many equally vague articles that make up
the law. In addition, the California law has long-reaching
implications for foie gras producers all around the country and
in other countries as well. The ban has the potential to impact
all foie gras producers, not just those within California. In
essence, this law is regulating interstate and foreign commerce,
something which California has no constitutional power to do.
All in all, the “Bird Feeding Law” has plenty of fatal defects,
making it one deserving of repeal, regardless of the foie
gras-making process.
There in fact has already been much outcry over California’s ban
on foie gras. The law, being confusing and hard to enforce, has
already been publicly broken by numerous California restaurants
in brave and telling protest. Several lawsuits have been filed
against the state of California, seeking to overturn the law.
Ultimately, no matter how silly this law may be, it has real
victims. This law deprives Californians from enjoying one the
world’s great culinary pleasures and more importantly, destroys
the business of countless foie gras farms across the country.
With all the evidence refuting the law, one can only assume/hope
that the California ban will face the same fate as that of a
similar Chicago ban from 2006: being repealed.
For further reading on the process of making foie gras, read
this article at
HTML http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02-18/news/is-foie-gras-torture/
HTML http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02-18/news/is-foie-gras-torture/<br
/>by Sarah DiGregorio of the Village Voice.
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