10th Oct 2007 - 00:00
Abstract
York has become the first UK city aiming to outlaw the sale of foie gras in shops and restaurants, joining the campaign launched a couple of years ago in Chicago and other US cities. But it's plans have met major problems.
Councillors voted to ban the French delicacy in their premises and are contacting the city's registered food outlets to inform them that it is "unethical to stock the rich fatty liver". York is also pressing for government legislation to outlaw the sale of foie gras, made by force-feeding corn mash to geese and ducks through a tube into their gullets. The process, carried out a few days before slaughter, results in the birds' livers swelling to 10 times their normal size. France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, which can cost £20 for 100g and has become a contentious animal rights issues of the age. But York's dream of a foie gras-free city was dealt a blow when officials pointed out that it did not have powers to implement such a ban. Individual countries are free to outlaw its production in their own territories, but banning its sale would contravene EU laws on free trade.