Foie gras ban gets vivid hearing

[Animal 0]

Trouvé sur la liste ethiquanimal.....

Diverses propositions de loi d'interdiction du foie gras (production
et/ou vente) continuent leur bonhomme de chemin aux USA dans divers
Etats (Illinois, Massachusetts, New York) ou villes (Chicago).

Il y a actuellement des auditions dans les assemblées représentatives
concernées au sujet de ces propositions. Cela génère des articles dans
le presse locale et nationale (New York Times par exemple).

Ci-dessous un des ces articles (en anglais...). La description de la
production de foie gras que fait la véto Dr. Holly Cheever (appelée à
témoigner dans ces auditions) vaut le détour (début de l'article).
"Stop Gavage" aussi a apporté un témoignage écrit pour les
propositions de loi du Massachusetts et de Chicago.

Ce qui est intéressant c'est que le lien avec les autres viandes est
quasi-systématiquement fait dans les articles :

-soit par les assos : par exemple Farm Sanctuary milite souvent en
même temps contre les cases pour les veaux et le gavage, avec même des
propositions de loi qui visent à interdire les 2 en même temps

-soit, plus souvent encore, par les pro-gavage :
(a) soit avec l'argument de la "pente glissante" :
"What about chicken. Is chicken next? Will they ban the sale of
lamb and veal? If you start, where do you stop? When you open this
door, will it ever close?"
=> "Et les poulets alors ? Est-ce qu'après ce sera les poulets ?
Est-ce qu'ils vont aussi interdire la vente d'agneau et de veau ? Si
vous commencez, où vous arrêtez-vous ? Quand vous ouvrez cette porte,
se refermera-t-elle jamais ?"

(b) soit même pour dire que c'est encore pire pour les poulets
industriels (exemple qui est souvent pris), et que les poulets sont
encore plus nombreux et que donc il faudrait laisser le foie gras
tranquille.


Sur EVANA, il y a des liens vers d'autres articles :
http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=5465&lang=en

Je rappelle au passage l'existence du groupe de discussion
Anti_foie_gras : "Groupe anti foie gras au but essentiellement
militant." créé par daria_vegan.
Pour s'inscrire : http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Anti_foie_gras/
( ou un message vide à Anti_foie_gras-subscribe@... )

Antoine
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Foie gras ban gets vivid hearing

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-foiegras14.html

September 14, 2005
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

Veterinarians and animal rights activists on Tuesday described in
graphic detail how geese and ducks suffer while being force-fed to
create the liver delicacy known as foie gras.

"I'm sorry I had breakfast after listening to you," said Ald. Shirley
Coleman (16th).

If there was any doubt about the torturous nature of the process used
to create the pricey appetizer, veterinarian Dr. Holly Cheever cleared
it up -- and then some.

Cheever is a wildlife rehabilitator who specializes in treating ducks,
geese and other injured waterfowl. She described how a goose or duck
is restrained three times a day while a steel feeding pipe is jammed
down its esophagus. That's how the delicacy known as foie gras --
French for fatty liver -- is created.

Ducks 'die in massive pain'

"There is food spilling from the nostrils of these poor animals, who
choke to death. As the [enlarged] liver fails, they develop a brain
condition. You will see birds having seizures or in comas still being
grabbed and force-fed. The liver is so expanded that, when the
handlers put too much pressure on their abdomens, the livers may
simply rupture and they die in massive pain and discomfort from
internal hemorrhage," Cheever said.

"No other egg production, pork production, beef production, dairy
production -- nowhere do we intentionally create a desperately ill
animal, slaughter it just before it's gonna die because you've made it
so ill, and then take this diseased organ, mix it up with herbs and
spices and slap it on a cracker on New Year's Eve."

'An affront to our humanity'

The way ducks and geese are force-fed is "outside the bounds of
acceptable conduct in a society that values compassion," said Gene
Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary, an organization he described as
the nation's leading farm-animal protection organization.

"Their livers expand up to six to ten times their normal size. With a
liver that big, the other organs are being pushed. Their legs are
being pushed out, so it's hard to walk. It's even difficult to breathe
because the liver is pushing up against their lung sacs," Bauston
said.

"This is an indefensible practice. This is a product that is spread on
crackers. It's a delicacy. It's an hors d'oeuvre. It is eaten by a
very few people. A Zogby poll conducted in Illinois within the last
couple of weeks found that 90 percent of Illinois citizens either
never ate foie gras or never even heard of foie gras. It is a product
that is not necessary, an affront to our humanity."

After hearing the compelling testimony, the Health Committee took no
action on a proposal by Ald. Joe Moore (49th) to ban the sale of foie
gras in Chicago restaurants.

Restaurants to get say

Health Committee Chairman Ed Smith (28th), who's keeping an open mind,
said he wants to hold at least one more hearing to give restaurant
owners who serve the controversial delicacy an opportunity to weigh in
on the ban.

Famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter has already stopped serving foie
gras. According to Bauston, more than 100 other Illinois restaurants
have signed similar pledges.

But Illinois Restaurant Association President Colleen McShane remains
opposed to a ban, either at the state or city level.

"What about chicken. Is chicken next? Will they ban the sale of lamb
and veal? If you start, where do you stop?" McShane said. "When you
open this door, will it ever close?

"This has been around forever. Why is it all of the sudden an issue?
The USDA controls how livestock, poultry and duck farms are run. If
the USDA thought there was cruelty [they would step in]. The point is,
this is not a local issue."