Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a federal district court ruling that invalidated a California ban on force-feeding ducks to make foie gras, or “fatty liver.” The production of foie gras by force-feeding ducks is once again prohibited in California!





The lower court’s decision wrongly characterized force-feeding as an “ingredient,” not a cruel animal husbandry practice. The Ninth Circuit stated:

“Force-fed” is not a physical component that we find in our poultry; it is a feeding technique that farmers use. … As societal values change, so too do our notions of acceptable food products. Like foie gras, horsemeat was once a delicacy. ... Today, many states, including California, ban horsemeat because they consider the idea of eating horse repugnant. California, like a growing number of countries around the world, has concluded that force-fed foie gras is similarly repugnant.

Repugnant it is. In 2013 Mercy For Animals conducted an undercover investigation at Hudson Valley Foie Gras, one of the three plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to the lower court’s ruling. Using a hidden camera, MFA documented the inherent cruelty of foie gras production. The investigation exposed workers violently grabbing ducks and shoving metal pipes down their throats.





See this barbaric practice for yourself.









This heinous practice causes ducks’ livers to swell up to 10 times their normal size. Violently force-feeding birds to induce a disease state is egregiously cruel and has no place in a civilized society.





We applaud the Ninth Circuit’s decision. The people of California have spoken, and they don’t support blatant animal abuse.



