Written by PETA
When gourmets say something is "sinful," they usually mean "decadent." When Dominic Walker, the bishop of Monmouth in Wales, says foie gras is sinful, he means in the biblical sense. In a letter he sent on behalf of PETA U.K. to the Welsh Western Mail newspaper, Bishop Walker urges Christians to refuse to eat the deadly "delicacy":
Lent is a time when Christians are encouraged to think about what they eat, and to fast or abstain from their favourite foods. We are also encouraged to engage in some positive action, and I would ask your readers to give some thought to foie gras production which involves force-feeding ducks and geese until their livers become diseased and painfully enlarged to up to ten times their normal size .... I would urge Christians to refuse to eat foie gras and to write to those stores that stock it and to those restaurants that serve it and to help end this cruel trade.
Foie gras production, which involves pumping up to 4 pounds of mush into ducks' and geese's stomachs every day, is so cruel that it is illegal in the U.K.—although, paradoxically, it is still legal to sell the stuff. Both the production and sale of foie gras have been banned in California, a law that goes into effect next year.
If you see foie gras on a restaurant menu, take the bishop's advice and complain to the management. And please take a moment to urge Royal Caribbean to stop supporting the torture of ducks and geese by serving foie gras on its cruises.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Contrary to the title of the first James Bond film he starred in, Roger Moore isn't willing to "live and let die." The former 007 is still battling bad guys, but instead of going after evil geniuses intent on destroying the world, he's leveling his icy blue stare at people intent on destroying ducks and geese. And just like all those Bond villains, they are no match for his debonair charm.
This week, the U.K. department store Harvey Nichols folded like a poker player at Casino Royale and agreed to Sir Roger's request that it stop selling foie gras, which is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until their livers expand to up to 10 times their normal size. The decision comes almost a year to the day after Moore helped PETA U.K. persuade another U.K. institution, Selfridges, to stop selling the deadly delicacy.
Can anyone resist being shaken, not stirred by Sir Roger's entreaties? I'm beginning to doubt it. You can shake things up yourself by writing to two companies on this side of Her Majesty's former empire—Royal Caribbean and Gelson's Markets—and asking them to stop serving and selling foie gras. We don't want to have to sic James Bond on them.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
Follow PETA on Twitter!