Foie Gras, which literally translates to "fatty liver," is made from the engorged livers of ducks and geese. To produce foie gras, ducks and geese are force-fed enormous amounts of grain and fat, which causes their livers to swell to many times the normal size. When these feeding pipes are jammed into the birds, their throats are often punctured and the birds can suffer from severe tissue damage and internal bleeding.
According to the ASPCA, "The birds' livers become so enlarged…that according to documentation by veterinarians, the animals must experience unspeakable pain and suffering. Birds have literally exploded from these forced feedings. The results of necropsies on dead birds that have been force-fed reveal ruptured livers, throat damage, esophageal trauma, and food spilling from the dead animals' throats and out of their nostrils."
The force-feeding of animals for non-medical purposes, essential to current foie gras production practices, is explicitly prohibited by specific laws in six of nine Austrian provinces, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, or following interpretation of general animal protection laws in Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. However, foie gras can still be imported into and purchased in these countries.
It's time to put an end to these double-standards! Force-feeding is illegal in Norway, and importing and selling foie gras should be too!
More information on foie gras:
http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/foiegras/factsheet.html
http://www.dyrevern.no/artikler/nyheter_om_mat/forby_gaseleverpostei
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-EDBdGU5fA
