City council members expected to pass bill which would impose $1,000 fine and up to one year behind bars for selling delicacy

This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

The sale of foie gras was Wednesday on the verge of becoming illegal in New York City.

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City council members are expected to pass a bill that bans the sale of the fattened liver of a duck or goose at restaurants, or in any grocery stores, delicatessens or other outlets.

A majority of council members have signed on to the bill, which also has the support of animal welfare advocates and other critics who say producing it involves cruelty because of force-feeding the birds by sticking a tube down the throat.

Farmers who produce foie gras claim the birds are treated humanely and don’t suffer during the fattening process.

Vendors say the bill could mean trouble for farms outside the city that are premier US producers of the delicacy, which is usually served whole or made into a buttery mousse, parfait or pâté.

The bill would impose a $1,000 fine and up to one year behind bars on any restaurateur or grocery store owner caught selling foie gras.

California banned the divisive foodstuff in 2012. It was challenged in federal court, but a federal appeals court eventually upheld the ban. Chicago banned foie gras in 2006, but the ordinance was repealed two years later.

Other animal-friendly bills are also expected to be approved at Wednesday’s meeting of the New York City council, including a bill prohibiting carriage horses, who work hauling tourists around Central Park, from working in temperatures above 90F (32C), and a ban on the sale, capture or possession of pigeons in the city.