Foie Gras - You Be The Judge

Knowing exactly where your foie gras is produced and what the welfare standards are is the only way to fight back against campaigners. Their whole argument is based on cruelty but as we show that is not always the real picture.

 

The battle against foie gras on the high street is currently reaching its climax. The current place of disfavour is Fortnum & Mason, one of London's most high profile luxury retail and restaurant stores. The protesters, led by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have been putting serious pressure on the Piccadilly store to stop selling foie gras, in any form, for some time.

Their case, and they make it strongly, is about animal welfare and cruelty. They use a very distressing film, which you can see to the right, to back up their case that the production of foie gras is: "torture in a tin". The film is located on a page of their website entitled:  

stopfortnumandmasonfoiegrascruelty.com and is also on You Tube.

That's Stop Fortnum and Mason foie gras cruelty .com. The film is narrated by Kate Winslet and paints a very clear picture of why foie gras is cruel and barbaric. 

However, effective though the campaign has been, it has serious flaws. It does not stand up when you show evidence of different standards of welfare that are not shown in their film. But to do this you need to know exactly where your foie gras comes from and how it is produced. If you can demonstrate this then you have a much stronger case in reply, should they, or others, come knocking.

So, why is the battle for Fortnum & Mason so important to chefs and restaruants? Because, as a recent article in The Guardian shows, PETA have Fortnum & Mason on the ropes and it is only a matter of time before the crunch decision comes:

"Trading standards officers have agreed with PETA demands that the store should amend the wording of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy to make it clear that its decision to sell foie gras does not comply with its framework on selling meat produced to "the highest welfare standards".

Westminster's trading standards department has warned the store that if it does not amend the policy, or make it clear that it does not cover foie gras, it could be in breach of consumer protection laws and leave itself open to legal action.

In a statement to PETA, Westminster trading standards said: "Fortnum & Mason have been advised of potential breaches… with regards to the content of their corporate social responsibility document. They are currently reviewing the document in response to our advice and amendments will be made shortly."

The result of this skirmish could have serious ramifications for chefs and restaurants. A number of restaruants have been targeted in the past, such as VAN ZELLERS, in Harrogate, to name but one. However, the real fight is being fought on Piccadilly and if Fortnum's cave and give in and remove foie gras then PETA will be in a very strong position to press home its case against chefs and restaurateurs.

Our film, shown above, is important. Why? Because it shows the treatment of the geese that make the foie gras that Fortnum & Mason buys, and sells. Fortnum & Mason sources its foie gras through a number of suppliers from a French cooperative called Sarlat Perigord Foie Gras based in the Dordogne in France.

What you can see in our film is the actual process on some of the Sarlat cooperative farms that the geese go through to produce foie gras that meets Fortnum & Mason's welfare standards. This is important for one very good reason: Fortnum & Mason takes the provenance of its foie gras very seriously.

According to their website Fortnum & Mason have very strict guidelines for the production of foie gras and only buy French goose foie gras (they do not sell duck any more) from 2 specific farms. One of those farms is part of Sarlat Perigord Foie Gras, where we filmed.

These farms have been identified as having the highest welfare standards for goose foie gras production anywhere in the world, according to foie gras expert Laura King of King's Fine Food in London and by Vincent Heusch of French foie gras specialist Georges Bruck in Strasbourg.

So, what you will see in the two films is very different. The film we produced shows exactly how one particular brand of foie gras is produced and it shows it very clearly and unambiguously. The PETA film, shocking though it is, does not identify the location or producers and appears to only show ducks which clearly does not apply to Fortnum & Mason as they don't sell it.

PETA's whole stance, in the way it is campaignning against Fortnum & Mason and others, has actually given chefs and restaruants a chance to fight back by being honest about where their foie gras comes from. If this ingredient is to be saved from extinction, and clearly a lot of chefs feel strongly about this, then they will need to be ready with documented evidence that shows clearly the welfare conditions of the animals that create their foie gras - whether this be duck or goose.

For one thing is for certain: there are foie gras battery farms, there is serious mistreatment of both geese and ducks. We have highlighted one producer who takes it very seriously. Do you know where yours comes from? If not you should find out. One place to start is to talk to Laura King at King's Fine Food who is an expert and sells foie gras from Sarlat Perigord Cooperative. See related profiles opposite. However, be prepared to pay a lot more if you want the welfare to go with the product.

If you are serious about foie gras then here are some points about Sarlat Perigord Foie Gras that fly in the face of what the campaigners are saying: that the whole life of the goose is one of misery and persecution. That foie gras is "torture in a tin"

1. Gavage - the force feeding process only happens at the end of the life of the goose. For the remainder of its life it is completely free range to very high standards as the film clearly shows.

2. Force feeding of these geese is done by one person, the gaveur, with whom the geese build up a relationship.

3. The use of a machine actually means less time for the tube to be inserted into the throat as it takes less time to inject the feed into the crop than pouring grain through a funnel. Approximately 3 seconds.

4. The geese are not fed grain but a special paste which is placed via the nozzle into the crop, not into the stomach.

5. The geese are not caged individually.

6. The barns where the force feeding takes place are strictly regulated for light, air circulation, density of animals and freedom of movement.

7. A period of pre-gavage, where feed is put down at certain times of the day and then removed, is used to allow the geese to become used to having a lot of food at one time.

8. The geese are free to roam and move about in large fields as a breading flock and to lay their eggs freely. These eggs are carefully hatched according to strict standards.

On a personal note, I grew up with geese. We kept them at home and I remember the smell of the boiled up leftovers which we fed them on very clearly. I have a special place for them in my heart. Every year I look forward to the huge flocks of wild geese that arrive for the winter.

I love their noise, their demeanour, their character and above all their innate passion. I once came between a mummy goose and her chick and got very badly bitten. When I witnessed and filmed the gavage process I must admit that I found it hard to get used to. But, what I didn't see was any actual distress. The geese were not angry or fearful. They were their same noisy, boisterous selves.

And, when I filmed it was their second day of gavage so they were still getting used to it and to have strangers in the barn, which I was, must have made a difference as the person they normally see is the gaveur who has been with them their whole life not just for the process of force feeding. The gaveur was very gentle with the geese and they did not try to bite him and they did not hiss angrily, something that I remember very well from childhood.

One thing I will say is that I found the slaughter more difficult to deal with. But then again I have never liked abbatoirs having been taken to one as a child. Unfortunately, all farming is cruel whether it be geese or cattle. The one image that has stayed with me is the way the geese were strung up to have their livers removed. It all seemed so impersonal. But was it cruel and unjust?

My own opinion is irrelevant. I have one but it is my own and I have been able to come to it on my own. That is right and fair. Fortnum & Mason should have that right too as should all chefs and restaurants. PETA is entitled to its opinion but what it should not do is show films that are not related, or relevant, to the case it is fighting.

Should this end up being your restaurant then you can fight back by being honest about where you buy it. If you are not, or are unsure, then these kind of campaigns can hurt you very badly.

Let us know what you think on twitter.