Wednesday, June 06, 2007

no ban on foie gras

Ages ago I signed a petition on the Downing Street website urging the British government to ban foie gras. I've just had an email from them explaining that they're not going to do it.

Apparently "a unilateral ban on welfare grounds would not be legal. World trade rules prevent a ban on imports simply on the grounds of welfare standards in producer countries. Similarly, the rules governing the of the European Union require member states to allow the free circulation of goods. Any unilateral ban would lead to proceedings before the European Court".

I was under the impression that it had already been outlawed in Poland, Denmark, Germany and Norway, so don't really understand that, unless it's just the case that it's been made illegal to produce it in those countries.

Anyway, my favourite bit in the email is the following bit of really constructive advice.

"The most effective action for individuals who dislike the way foie gras is produced, of course, is not to buy it which is a position taken by many people in this country. "

Why didn't I think of that?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I encourage you to respond to Defra informing them that a prohibition on the sale of foie gras in the UK would be compatible with the EC Treaty and the rules of the World Trade Organisation, both of which permit restrictions on grounds of public morality. Currently, animal welfare laws in the UK prohibit the farming methods used in foie gras production due to the cruelty involved, but foie gras continues to be sold here.

To learn more about more ways in which you can help end the abuse of animals for foie gras, please visit http://www.PETA.org.uk/feat/rogermoore.asp and http://www.GoVeg.com/feat/foie.

Thanks again for writing and for all of your efforts on behalf of animals.

Sincerely,

Noemie Ventura,
Campaign Coordinator for PETA Europe

Anonymous said...

FOIE GRAS IS THE BEST FOOD IN THE WORLD!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Loving your blog - very entertaining (and informative). House of Fraser have recently banned the sale of foie gras in their stores. Here's an article about it from the Independent. Just thought you might be interested?!