Amazon have withdrawn any product with fois gras from their catalogue for the UK market. The sensibilities of UK residents now equaling those of some of the States where it has been banned for quite a while now. Living here in SW France we are surrounded by farms with ducks and geese and there can be few of us who have never been to see a "gavage" I do not know if we went to a particularly caring enterprise but I know I was determined it was going to be terrible and I would be appalled, etc. etc. When it came down to it the geese who up till 3 weeks before had spent a happy life in the field were brought in to pens and regularly had their throats massaged as they were fed by tube extensive amounts of maize. None looked unhappy just fat as they waddled off. Three weeks later they were killed and their now enlarged livers were used to make fois gras.
The enterprise explained the idea came from Egyptian times when the birds themselves gorged before a long flight and it was discovered their livers at this point were plump and delicious.
I think the issues are if you eat birds then at some point they have to be killed, unless a vegetarian you accept this. The next issue is has the bird had a decent life? I can honestly say in my opinion on that one visit I had the birds did not seem to be suffering. We all have our own thoughts on fois gras and many find it a delicious speciality of the region.
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