We must work to ban appalling cruelty of foie gras production- Liz Lynne MEP

10.21.17am GMT Tue 10th Mar 2009

LibDem Euro MP Liz Lynne on Saturday met with Four Paws Campaigns Director Marie- Claire Macintosh to discuss the charities work in exposing the cruel practices used by foie gras producers in Europe and around the world.

The production of the traditional French delicacy, which is produced by force feeding ducks and geese massive amounts of grain two or three times a day, is illegal in most European countries but still takes place in France, Hungary and Bulgaria. The practice is horrifically cruel with mortality rates among the force fed birds up to 20 times higher than for non- force fed birds.

A recent Four Paws investigation into the methods used by Hungarian foie gras producers found that the birds were often kept in dangerously cramped conditions and many were so ill that they needed antibiotics just to survive.

Liz Lynne, who has been a long time campaigner against the production of foie gras, met with Marie- Claire Macintosh to discuss what could be done at a European level to help end production of foie gras and prevent this appalling cruelty to animals.

Speaking at the meeting Liz said:

"The evidence of the extreme suffering of ducks and geese in Hungary uncovered by Four Paws shows once again that the production of foie gras is inhumane and abhorrently cruel. The time has come for an outright ban of long term force feeding in agricultural production.

"I welcome Four Paws work in helping to expose the true nature of foie gras appalling production process and for helping to make people more aware of how this so-called delicacy is made. Force feeding of birds is inherently cruel and clearly causes serious harm and makes the birds ill.

"I will continue to call for a ban on foie gras at an EU level until this barbaric practice is brought to an end.""