ANIMAL
PETITIONS

The UK government is going against the wishes of the public and disregarding the welfare of animals by failing to uphold its promise to prohibit the import and sale of foie gras. In her debut interview as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Thérèse Coffey announced that the proposed ban is being put on hold, citing it as not a priority that warrants parliamentary time. 

This decision sharply contrasts with public sentiment. An overwhelming majority of citizens support a ban on foie gras imports – a product obtained through the cruel force-feeding of ducks and geese using a metal tube multiple times a day, causing their livers to become diseased. The government's choice to postpone the proposed bill disregards public opinion. It's time for the government to promptly introduce legislation banning the import and sale of foie gras, thereby ending the UK's participation in this atrocious industry.

Foie gras - a pâté made from the diseased liver of force-fed ducks and geese - is acquired through processes so brutal they're outlawed in the UK. Yet, this abhorrent food product continues to be imported and sold within the country. 

Foie gras production involves force-feeding ducks and geese until their livers swells to roughly tenfold their natural size. Envision being made to consume 20 kilograms of pasta daily. That’s analogous to the nearly 2 kilograms of food typically forced down the throats of these birds every single day.

PETA investigations have exposed the severe injuries sustained by birds due to the long metal feeding tubes, resulting in holes in their necks, broken beaks, and oesophagitis. Furthermore, many birds are unable to walk normally, suffer from bone disease, or even have difficulty breathing because their enlarged livers compress their lungs by the end of their short lives.

A staggering 79% of Britons want to see a ban on foie gras importation. While the government has acknowledged the cruelty involved in its production and pledged in its 2021 Action Plan for Animal Welfare to "build a clear evidence base to inform decisions on banning the import or sale of foie gras," this effort falls short. As the UK has exited the European single market, this presents an opportunity for policymakers to recognize the public's disdain for this cruel product and shut our borders to this brutal trade – an opportunity they must capitalize on!

Urge the government to enact an immediate ban on the importation and sale of foie gras in the UK.

Please sign the petition.