Oregon Senate Passes Historic Animal Cruelty Bill to Ban Production, Sale of Foie Gras

Oregon Senate Passes Historic Animal Cruelty Bill to Ban Production, Sale of Foie Gras; Farm Sanctuary Lauds Sen. Verger, Lead Sponsor of Senate Bill, in Efforts to Ban Force Feeding of Birds for Foie Gras

4/26/2005 4:28:00 PM

To: State Desk

Contact: Gene Bauston, 607-583-2225 ext. 227 or gbauston [at] farmsanctuary.org, or Alison Stoll, 917-710-7390 or astoll [at] farmsanctuary.org, both of Farm Sanctuary

SALEM, Ore., April 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal shelter and advocacy organization, commends the Oregon State Senate for passing Senate Bill 861 (S.B. 861). Introduced by Sen. Joanne Verger (D-5), S.B. 861 seeks to ban the force feeding of birds for the production and sale of foie gras. The Oregon Foie Gras Bill is co-sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans, and it has received a key endorsement by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA). Through the State Senate, the passage of S.B. 861 brings Oregon a step closer to banning the cruel production and sale of foie gras statewide.

"We thank Senator Verger and all the lawmakers that have voted in favor of S.B. 861 for their compassionate commitment to prevent the production and end the distribution of foie gras in Oregon," said Farm Sanctuary President Gene Bauston. "Support for this bill and similar legislation throughout the U.S. illustrates that momentum is building to ban foie gras nationwide."

Oregon is one of a handful of states - including Illinois, Massachusetts and New York - that are taking proactive steps during this legislative session to end the notoriously cruel practice of force feeding birds for the sake of a high-priced "gourmet" food item. Last year, California became the first state in the U.S. to ban the force feeding of birds to make foie gras. The California law also prohibits the sale of foie gras in the state, effective in 2012. More recently, Illinois’ bill to ban foie gras production passed the State Senate with a unanimous vote. In addition, a recent Zogby poll conducted in the state of New York, found that four out of five likely voters support a ban on force feeding birds for foie gras production. Across the U.S., over 500 restaurants have signed pledges not to serve foie gras. Outside of the U.S., foie gras production is banned in at least a dozen European countries, as well as Israel, once the world’s third-largest producer of the product.

Foie gras is the enlarged, diseased liver of ducks or geese that are force fed as a pipe is shoved down their throats several times daily. Confined in small pens or individual cages barely larger than their own bodies, these birds are forced to ingest amounts of food far in excess of what they would eat in the wild. In a matter of weeks, their livers expand up to ten times their normal size until they reach the diseased state of "hepatic lipidosis," in which they no longer function properly. It is this diseased, fatty mass that is sold as foie gras.

For more information about foie gras production and legislation banning foie gras production in both the U.S. and worldwide, please see http://www.NoFoieGras.org.

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About Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and legislative actions, public awareness projects, youth education and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y. and Orland, Calif. provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

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