Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law late on Thursday to ban the sale and production of foie gras in the South American country, citing animal cruelty. The ban on sales will effectively end imports of the luxury food from France.
France’s Reaction
France considers foie gras part of its culinary heritage, but animal rights activists have condemned the practice of force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers. French diplomats had stepped up pressure on Lula to veto the bill, but it was approved unanimously by Congress.
Brazilian animal rights activists have questioned the findings of a European Union report that found foie gras production respects animal welfare rules. Marina Lacorte, food systems campaign manager at welfare group World Animal Protection, said, ‘What constitutes ‘good treatment’ can be pretty relative, right? I don’t know what they mean by ‘good treatment,’ but for animal welfare organizations, there is no wellbeing involved.’
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
