New footage from animal rights group Animal Equality shows birds being force-fed on a foie gras farm in France.
The “harrowing” video was filmed during a public tour of the farm this past August and shows “geese and ducks suffering in barren, wire cages and terrified birds struggling while being force-fed with metal tubes,” according to Plant Based News.
Actor and activist Peter Egan and TV veterinarian Emma Milne joined Animal Equality on the visit to La Ferme Turnac. After their tour, Milne told PBN:
The vocalization was absolutely clear that it was an extremely unpleasant experience. If that’s what they’re happy to show you, I dread to think what some of the worse farms are like.
Foie gras production is one of the most sadistic things done to farmed animals. Ducks have pipes shoved down their throats to force the birds to ingest far more food than they would naturally eat. In fact, “foie gras” is French for “fatty liver.” The animals generally undergo this abuse two or three times a day.
The ducks’ livers become diseased, swelling up to 10 times their normal size, resulting in terrible emotional and physical suffering for these animals.
Most of these ducks have difficulty walking and breathing normally. Many suffer ruptured organs and die. The birds are typically kept in small, filthy cages for most of their lives, unable to walk or spread their wings. They become so distressed they sometimes tear out their own feathers or cannibalize one another.
A 2013 Mercy For Animals undercover investigation at the country’s largest foie gras producer shows workers violently grabbing ducks by their wings or necks, ramming a metal pipe down their throats, and pumping enormous amounts of food into their stomachs.
In the video, a worker tells our undercover investigator that force-feeding is so traumatic many birds die from it. The practice is so cruel it has been banned in California and more than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Israel. Last year Brussels banned foie gras production and a New York state senator introduced a bill to prohibit force-feeding birds. What’s more, Postmates announced earlier this year it would no longer deliver foie gras.
Violently force-feeding birds to induce a diseased state is egregiously cruel and has no place in a civilized society.
The best way to protect all farmed animals from unspeakable cruelty and a lifetime of suffering is to leave them off your plate. Order your FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today. And check out our Pinterest page for thousands of recipe ideas!
