Undercover Activists Rescue Ducks From Foie Gras Farms in CA and NY

From Eating Plants

Please see below for an action you can take against the restaurant Incanto that sells Foie Gras.

From The Sacramento Bee

FARMINGTON, Calif. and FERNDALE, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2012 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Activists from the Animal Protection and Rescue League have once again penetrated security at the two main factory farms that force feed ducks in the U.S. to make the gourmet appetizer “foie gras,” or fattened liver.

The activists took video of conditions and rescued several ducks in both California and New York. “Hot in Cleveland” actress Wendie Malick narrated a video of the animal cruelty investigations, which is now posted at www.StopForceFeeding.com.

“These young activists took great personal risk to expose cruel conditions at these factory farms,” states Bryan Pease, an attorney for the group. “Activists who previously rescued ducks from these same locations were charged with felony burglary.”

Some of the video obtained includes footage from hidden cameras the activists installed to capture the actual force feeding process. Hudson Valley Foie Gras repeatedly claims their ducks do not try to escape the force feeding, but the undercover footage shows them huddling in the corner of their pens as a worker grabs them by the wings and shoves a large metal pipe down their throats.

In order to make their livers over 10 times their normal size and almost entirely fat, foie gras producers force feed the ducks massive quantities of food three times per day for almost a month. Many ducks do not survive the process, and the activists found trash barrels filled with dead ducks in both factory farms.

The animal cruelty investigation mirrors conditions found in 2002-2004 when APRL previously exposed the force feeding industry. A California statewide ban on sale and production of foie gras takes effect this July. Some chefs opposed to the ban have been claiming the ducks “go to the feeders.” An investigative reporter recently confronted a chef who claimed this, and the chef was unable to back up this statement with any evidence:

http://iteamblog.abc7news.com/2012/02/ducks-want-to-be-force-fed.html

According to APRL, less than a tenth of a percent of all restaurants in the U.S. serve foie gras. Over 100 restaurants in California have removed the item without waiting for the ban to take effect, and only about 300 restaurants in the state are still serving it. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, West Hollywood, Berkeley, Carlsbad and Solana Beach have all passed resolutions in support of the statewide ban.

More info is online at www.StopForceFeeding.com.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

WHAT YOU CAN DO | FROM STOP FORCE FEEDING

Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore are fanatical promoters of foie gras and routinely lie about how it is produced. Please contact them at Incanto Restaurant, 1550 Church St., San Francisco, CA 94131 / 415-641-4500 / reserve@incanto.biz and let them know the public does not support animal cruelty!

WHOM TO CONTACT

Incanto Restaurant
1550 Church St.
San Francisco, CA 94131

Phone:  415-641-4500 (Please note I was unable to confirm this information – the phone maze disallowed contact with a live person.)

Email: reserve@incanto.biz


SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Mr. Cosentino  and Mr. Pastore,

I am shocked to learn that Incanto continues to serve foie gras despite continual protest and upcoming law against this barbaric food.  Surely you are aware of the cruelty involved to create foie gras, and your continual offering of it leaves me appalled.

Incomprehensibly, these animals savagely used for foie gras are granted no protections under any humane standards; in fact, this is one of the most heinous and violent methods of animal-food production. This is such an inherently painful and cruel practice that many countries and other cities have banned its production. In fact, as much as it gives me great distress, allow me to share with you footage of foie gras production:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ozws-u4xb0

You are obviously familiar with how animals are treated as demonstrated above, yet you remain ambivalent.  You must know that animals are sentient creatures, capable of thought, emotion, and suffering, and to knowingly enable and encourage such exploitation merely for an unnecessary menu item is appalling.

As such, I respectfully request you please reconsider and make the compassionate and ethical decision to ban foie gras from Incanto.  You may be interested to know that many establishments recently removed foie gras from their menus, and I would love to inform my friends and colleagues that you have joined them. Indeed, you would be joining an ever-increasing number of eating establishments and people who have also rejected this torture by eliminating foie gras. Until such a time, however, I maintain the only ethical decision is to promote a boycott of your establishment and visiting instead the ones that have removed foie gras already.

I look forward to a positive response, however, so that I may visit Incanto once again.

Sincerely,

NAME

SEE MORE:

• Compassionate Eating
• Vegan Guides
• Animal Wrongs
  

to those to whom this may or may not concern
some facts right here that you have to learn
how would you like to be force fed
terrified and choking
wishing you were dead
this it the foie gras reality
where but for the grace
it could be you or me!!!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson