Foie gras ducks do suffer. I've seen

Philippe Baron of the foie gras producers' federation is talking nonsense when he said in your article in January that the birds do not suffer.

We visited a foie gras farm in Brittany and were appalled at the thousands of ducks held in cages with no room to move, to turn around or stretch their wings.

The birds were distressed and in pain, with no access to daylight, grass or a pond of water.

The farmer agreed to sell us two ducks but when we got them home they were not able to walk or even feed properly.

It took a week before they could waddle around the paddock with other ducks, forage for grubs and bathe in a paddling pool.

Mr Baron says birds do not suffer but he is merely protecting a cruel industry that has no place in the modern world and the practice needs to be banned worldwide.

Here is a photo of the two ducks, Laurel and Hardy, enjoying life.

Kim and Steven Banks, by email