ON Saturday February 22 Swindon Animal Concern will have a stall in Regent Street to give people the opportunity to fill in cards to respectfully ask the Weighbridge Restaurant to remove foie gras from their menu.
Every year around 20 million ducks and five million geese are force fed to produce foie gras. Eighty per cent of ducks are confined in battery cages for the force feeding period. The cages are so small that the ducks are unable to stand up or stretch their wings. Trapped and helpless, a metal tube is thrust down their throats and vast quantities of food are pumped into their stomachs so their livers swell up to ten times their natural size.
Studies have shown that force feeding can cause terrible injuries, including tearing of the neck. The suffering of these birds is so extreme, this practise would be illegal in this country. However, we import over 4,000 tonnes of these diseased livers, marketed as an expensive delicacy.
Viva! has launched a campaign to urge the government to ban the importation of foie gras. Please visit their website www.viva.org.uk/foiegras.
M Harrison, Beaulieu Close, Swindon
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