Today I went shopping at Mercadona in Madrid, Spain. Looking at a 2.50 Euro piece of Foie Gras I wondered “wasn’t this made illegal in Europe?”.
Here’s what happened:
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has condemned force-feeding, stating that it raises “serious animal welfare issues.”
The Czech Republic, Italy, Germany and other European countries banned the production of Foie Gras.
The European Parliament first demanded a ban on force-feeding. However, shortly after, the European Parliament lead by France and Spain, declared foie gras production “respectful of animal welfare”.
Even under the absolute best conditions, force feeding is torturing the animals.
This video might explain how shops like Mercadona can sell Foie Gras at 2.50 Euro:
I tried giving Caracierzo a call to ask about the changes after Animal Equality’s investigation, their own thoughts on animal torture, and the current situation on their farm. Disappointingly, I couldn’t reach anyone.
Here is their contact information, maybe someone of you can reach them:
https://almizate.com
Calle Antillón, 68, 44360 Santa Eulalia, Teruel, Spain Phone: +34 978 86 05 08
Photos of the farm: https://www.flickr.com/photos/animalequalityuk/albums/72157632056129653/with/8203579457
Luckily many Spanish people are against force feeding animals to produce Foie Gras. Sign up for their petition to ban the production of Foie Gras in Spain: https://igualdadanimal.org/actua/foie-gras
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Sources:
https://www.fao.org/3/y4359e/y4359e0d.htm
https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/from-backing-bans-to-foie-gras-fans-the-story-behind-the-european-parliaments-u-turn/