FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matthew Dominguez, 202-853-7331, woof@vfar.org
NEW YORK, November 21, 2019 — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed a historic anti-cruelty bill into law banning the sale of force-fed foie gras. New York has become the largest city in the world to ban the sale of foie gras due to the inherent cruelty involved in its production. The law takes effect in 2022.
The City Council approved the legislation last month by a vote of 42-6. It was sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera and backed by a coalition of more than 50 not-for-profit organizations—led by Voters for Animal Rights—as well as more than 50 NY-based veterinarians including the Humane Society Veterinarian Association, a national organization of 9,000+ veterinary professional members, 30 City Council co-sponsors, 90 NYC based restaurants, and 81% of New York City voters, according to a Mason Dixon poll.
Foie gras (pronounced ˈfwä-ˈgrä)—French for “fatty liver”—is a luxury food product made from the diseased and enlarged liver of a duck produced through force-feeding. Ducks in the foie gras industry suffer immensely from ruptured organs, esophagus trauma, broken bones, illnesses, and diseases as a result of having a foot-long pipe shoved down their throats and a large mass of food injected into their delicate digestive system several times a day for weeks. The sole purpose of this force-feeding is to swell and disease the bird’s liver to ten times its normal, healthy size so it can be sold as foie gras. Facts on force-fed foie gras and Intro 1378A can be found here.
"We're thrilled that New York City is now the largest city in the world to protect ducks and geese from the abusive foie gras industry," said Allie Feldman Taylor, President of Voters for Animal Rights. "New York has sent a clear message to foie gras producers that shoving a pipe down a duck’s throat and force-feeding them large amounts of grain for the sole purpose of diseasing and enlarging their liver to ten times its normal size is cruel and has no place in our compassionate city."
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