Foie gras taken off Lords’ menu
Delicacy will no longer be served in Houses of Parliament after protests from animal rights campaigners
FOIE GRAS will no longer be served in the House of Lords restaurant when the peers return from their Christmas break.
The catering department has withdrawn the delicacy after protests from the campaign group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) were backed by a number of peers. A Lords spokesman said: "It will not feature on menus from January."
Peta complains that the geese and ducks are force-fed corn to grossly enlarge their livers before they are killed.
Its associate director, Mimi Bekhechi, said: “We are delighted that the House of Lords will join the House of Commons in taking a stand against cruelty and removing this most un-British of products from its menus.”
Consumers were urged recently by UK agriculture minister David Heath to avoid foie gras due to the inhumane production methods.
In France, the announcements were welcomed by anti-cruelty campaigners Ethique & Animaux L214, one of five groups to have lodged a complaint with the European Commission regarding the treatment of geese and ducks in foie gras production.
L214 has also recently released a video of force-feeding taken in the south-west of France. To see it, click this link L214 gavage video shot in south-west France
