LOHV-NYC's executive director John Phillips at a press conference in support of a ban on the production of foie gras in New York State.
Today, Council Member Tony Avella announced that at today's City Council stated meeting he will introduce a resolution -- Resolution 1456 -- calling on the New York State Legislature to support and pass S1463, which would make it unlawful to force feed a bird, by hand or machine, for the purpose of fatty enlargement of the bird's liver (Foie Gras).
"The practice of force feeding birds in order to produce foie gras is simply cruel and inhumane. More often than not this tortuous practice involves utilizing a metal tube to forcibly feed birds, typically ducks or geese, with excessive amounts of food for a period of several weeks, which essentially induces liver damage and a tremendous amount of pain. The abolition of this practice is long overdue and must be done immediately," stated Avella.
"The 'delicacy' of 'foie gras,' French for fatty liver, is produced by force-feeding ducks until their livers swell to ten times their healthy size. In reality, foie gras is a disease, not a delicacy. Council Member Avella's resolution will put pressure on state lawmakers to put an end to this egregious animal cruelty immediately," said John Phillips, Executive Director of the League of Humane Voters of New York City. "We are enormously grateful to Council Member Avella for his continued leadership on animal welfare at City Hall."