Answers to Fuel's "Foie Gras Facts"

Fuel Restaurant has been giving their customers a pro-foie gras leaflet with the following content. The sections from the Fuel leaflet are denoted by indentation and a thin border. We have attempted to fix their typos when we found them. If you have any questions regarding their document or our answers, please email us at info@liberationbc.com.

Please note that this document may change over time, as it is likely that Fuel will adjust their leaflet to answer this document, and so on.

Visit our main foie gras page.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Worldwide Foie Gras Production

France 78.5%
Hungary 8.2%
United States 1.4%
Canada (Quebec) .9%
(source: Wikipedia)

Worldwide production of Foie Gras is about 23,500,000 kilograms per year.

Of all the Foie Gras produced in Quebec, only 10% goes to the rest of Canada. Of this perhaps 1.5% goes to British Columbia. Since we are (42 seats) one of the smaller of the 30-50 restaurants in BC that use Foie Gras, one can surmise that we are among the smallest users of Foie Gras on the planet. Fuel Restaurant uses .00086% of the Foie Gras produced in the world.

The truth:

Why is this relevant? If there’s nothing wrong with foie gras production, why does it matter if Fuel uses all the foie gras in the world or almost none of it? The quantity of abuse is not an indicator of its status as abuse.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

The Video

Recorded between June 29 & July 5 by a volunteer with the Montreal-based Global Action Network, an animal rights group, the video shows a 14-year-old boy slicing a duck's neck with a knife nine times, the bird's wings still flapping more than a minute later. It is said the youth, who worked at the farm for two months as a summer job, was incited by the undercover activist, who had a hidden camera. "He kept telling him, 'How do you kill a duck? Show me how you kill a duck?'" That activist certainly did not report what he saw to the company. If, as we have been led to understand, he also encouraged it, he should be arrested and prosecuted on animal cruelty grounds himself. (source: Elisé François)

The truth:

What this section does not mention is that the source of this statement is the owner of the farm under investigation, Aux Champs d'Élisé. There is no corroborating witness. However, this is also a moot point, as the video that we have been showing depicts the conditions of the three largest foie gras farms in Quebec, not just Aux Champs d'Élisé. Portions of the video that depict isolated incidents – such as that of the young man killing a duck – were edited out, leaving only footage of force-feeding and the general conditions of the farms, which cannot be explained away as isolated or potentially faked.

This is incidentally the same farm where Fuel sources their foie gras, a farm that slaughters approximately 2000 ducks every week. On any given day there are around 4000 ducks being force-fed, definitely an intensive-farming operation.1

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

The lining of the duck and goose esophagus is keratinized. This means that it is composed of fibrous protein cells that resemble bristles or fingernails, allowing large pieces of food to pass safely. Because of this anatomical feature, the feeding tube creates no discomfort for the ducks. (source: International Duck Research Cooperative)

The truth:

According to Holly Cheever, DVM, the throats of ducks and geese are "just as delicate and subject to traumatic injury as ours." (Albany Times Union, May 28, 2004) Holly Cheever is a veterinarian who graduated from Harvard University in the top one percent of her class, graduated first in her class at Cornell University This duck has a gaping wound in its neck from where a feeding tube punctured it. College of Veterinary Medicine, and has won numerous awards for her work in the past 20 years educating New York State Police about prosecuting animal cruelty cases. Her studies state that “the esophagus is severely traumatized; post mortem examinations reveal scarring and lacerations and even occasional rupture of the esophagus from excessive pressure.” 2

The Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Union states that “the oropharyngeal area is particularly sensitive and is physiologically adapted to perform a gag reflex to prevent fluids from entering the trachea. Force feeding will have to overcome this reflex and hence the birds may initially find this distressing and injury may result.” (16 December 1998) 3

Additionally, the feeding tube is but one part of the cruelty involved in foie gras. Necropsies performed on foie gras birds have shown them to suffer from grossly enlarged livers, lacerated tracheas and esophagi, pneumonia, throats and gullets severely impacted with undigested corn, massive internal bacterial and fungal growth. Dr. Cheever’s study indicates that fowl used in foie gras production show evidence of aspiration pneumonia, “the inevitable result of being forced to accept a large volume of food which is aspirated into the lungs as the birds choke in an effort to swallow it all. Many carcasses have the food mixture spilling out of their mouths and nostrils, evidence that they died of choke and asphyxiation.”4

Avian vet Laurie Siperstein-Cook Dirty ducks unable to properly clean their feathers. observed the same abuse in her study of ducks used in foie gras production: "Grossly enlarged livers are less able to perform their function of cleansing the bloodstream of waste products from the body...the swollen livers also put pressure on the abdominal airsacs, which impairs the bird’s ability to breathe. They also push the legs out laterally, making it difficult for the birds to walk properly."5

She also noted the presence of “bumblefoot…a painful condition that can progress into the joint of the foot causing chronic pain and difficulty walking”, and stated that the ducks were “heavily soiled with fecal matter.”6

Fowl used in foie gras production are also denied access to water, which is necessary if they are to clean themselves properly. According to Siperstein-Cook, “Ducks…have a strong urge to clean and preen their feathers to keep them lined up and waterproof. The ducks I saw were very soiled and obviously were denied water adequate for this behavior.” (October 14, 2003)7

The source of Fuel’s information, the International Duck Research Cooperative, is a group composed of “…commercial duck producers…and duck feed manufacturers, other types of duck keepers and friends of the duck laboratory.” It was begun in 1949 by a group of Long Island duck growers.8

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Gavage

Three times a day the feeder comes to the pen, takes a bird by its neck, puts a funnel in its throat and feeds the bird, a process called gavage. The birds do not try to wriggle free, or show any discomfort -- the esophagus of the duck is in front of the food tube, so it is impossible to gag them. Ducks also have no teeth, so whole grain goes down their throat without needing to be ground up. It's a quick and process, taking six to eight seconds, less time than you'd need to tie your shoe.

The truth:

That’s approximately 15% of the The bottom half of this duck's beak has been broken in half, probably from a feeding tube. duck’s weight poured down its throat in “six to eight seconds.” Is this really something Fuel wants to brag about? Additionally, it is clear from watching multiple foie gras videos – including the one that we show – that the ducks struggle considerably when approached by feeders. A controlled study conducted by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Union concluded that “the avoidance behaviour by most ducks and geese in pens… indicates aversion to the force feeding procedure.”9

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation senior wildlife pathologist Ward Stone, who has necropsied force-fed ducks, said in a 1991 letter to Sullivan County Animal Control that "[t]his type of treatment and farming of waterfowl is outside the acceptable norms of agriculture and sane treatment of animals."10

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Through the careful use of gavage, duck livers are fattened up to eight times their normal size. While this may seem like an incredible increase, these livers are designed to grow, storing energy ducks need for their seasonal migration south. All told, the fattened foie gras livers are twice as large as the natural process the ducks already engage in, which is why they're used for foie gras instead of other animals.

The truth:

The ducks used in foie gras production are Moulards (or Mullards) — a hybrid of Muscovy and Mallard (Pekin) ducks — and are not a migratory species, so this argument is irrelevant.

Emily D. Levine, DVM, in her observations of foie gras farms, stated that “Although these animals have a genetic predisposition to store larger amounts of fat in their liver, they do so for the specific purpose of preparing to migrate. The birds in the industry do not migrate and do not presumably receive the external environmental cues that would normally signal them to begin to eat more than usual… I saw several birds that were exhibiting clinical signs of respiratory difficulty and or distress (panting, open mouth breathing, distinct abdominal effort to breathe, and tail bobbing). In the case of Foie Gras birds, the respiratory difficulty is likely to be due to the enlarged liver, which can compress the air sacs, making breathing difficult in general…Several of the animals looked as if they were limping.” (October 20 , 2003) 11

Veterinarian Dr. Yvan Beck noted that, “… at the end of this process the birds are unable to make the slightest exertion, which is the direct opposite of the purpose [of fatty buildup] under natural conditions. . .There is no comparison between the natural buildup of fats by waterfowl before migration, which occurs in peripheral tissue (50% in the breast area), and the extreme conditions which result from forced feeding.”12

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

In 2006, the American Veterinary Medical Association studied foie gras farming practices and recommended that the AVMA oppose anti-foie gras resolutions. Also, a 2004 study in the World's Poultry Science Journal concluded that the feeding procedure produced neither physiological indicators nor behavioral responses indicating stress. (Source: John Mariani, Esquire Magazine)

The truth:

The American Veterinary Medical Association has not come out against anti-foie gras resolutions. It also has not come out in favour of them. Rather, it decided in 2005 that an official position, either in favour of or against foie gras was not possible because “limited peer-reviewed, scientific information is available dealing with the animal welfare concerns associated with foie gras production, but the observations and practical experience shared by… members indicate a minimum of adverse effects on the birds involved.” The Animal Welfare Committee of the AVMA had recommended that the House of Delegates adopt the following position: "Resolved, that the AVMA opposes the practice of mechanical force feeding of ducks and geese to produce foie gras because of the adverse effects on the birds' health and welfare associated with this practice." 13

In 2007 a resolution came before the American Veterinary Medical Association's House of Delegates that they take the following position: "Resolved, that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) approves that the production of foie gras, in accordance with AVMA welfare committee guidelines, is an acceptable agriculture practice." This resolution was disproved, meaning it was not adopted. 14

The AVMA has historically been reluctant to adopt a position that conflicts with current practice. Some notable controversial practices that the AVMA has not come out in opposition to are forced molting and gestation crates.15 They have also approved of such practices as tail docking and ear notching of pigs,16 and they also approve of battery cages for egg-laying chickens.17 They have consistently positioned themselves on the side of industry, rather than on the side of animals. More information about the AVMA's positions on animal welfare issues can be found on their website, avma.org.

Meanwhile, the European Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have come out fully against foie gras. Additionally, countless veterinarians, professors of animal welfare, and poultry welfare experts have spoken out against foie gras production, which is banned in Israel, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, and Poland.

John Mariani is a gourmet and a columnist for Esquire, Wine Spectator, Diversion, Bloomberg News & Radio, and Restaurant Hospitality, not an expert on animal welfare. As for the World Poultry Science Journal, “a number of poultry companies around the world provide generous sponsorship to help meet some of the production costs of the World Poultry Science Journal.”18 This indicates a serious conflict of interest.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Contrary to what you may be told, the ducks are not just used for their livers; the legs, the breasts, bones and even the feathers are used as well

The truth:

We fully admit that the ducks’ entire bodies are used. In fact, we’d be shocked if they weren’t. The legs, breasts, fat, and skin in particular are marketed as specialty foods, mostly French. Also, it is generally the case that unused portions of animals get sent to rendering plants, where all the leftover bits get rendered and used in everything from tires to pet food to makeup, and so on.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Scientists have gone so far as to study the release of stress hormones in the ducks raised for foie gras. Peer-reviewed research confirms that the hand-feeding involved in fattening ducks does not cause them stress. Those are the facts. A waterfowl is capable of swallowing whole, wriggling, spiny fish without damaging its esophagus. It is no wonder, then, that the birds are not injured by less than one minute a day of feeding by a smooth narrow tube. (source: Nicholas Maduros, The Philadephia Inquirer)

The truth:

We’re not sure which “peer-reviewed research” Fuel is referring to here, but a study conducted by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Union did measure the blood corticosterone content of force fed birds and found levels to be fairly similar to those of non-force fed birds. In regards to these findings, the study stated that “because only the measurement of the pituitary adrenal activity has been taken into account, no definite conclusions can be drawn can be drawn concerning the physiological activity of birds during force feeding.” The overall conclusion of the study is that “force feeding, as currently practised, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds.” 19

As indicated earlier in this response to Fuel, necropsied birds frequently show signs of trauma—scarring, lacerations, and bacterial and fungal infections. These are not found in wild ducks and geese, most of whom do not eat “whole, wriggling, spiny fish.” Foie gras ducks are moulards, a species hybrid of mallard (pekin) and muscovy ducks. Mallards subsist on “seeds, roots and stems of bulrushes, millet and smartweed, as well as waste grain like barley from farmers fields. They’ve also been known to eat mosquito larvae, midges and mayfly nymphs.”20 Muscovy diets are similar, consisting of “plant material obtained by grazing or dabbling in shallow water, with some small vertebrates and insects.”21 Only “diving ducks”, such as mergansers and goosanders, eat fish on a regular basis. Mallards and Muscovy are “dabbling ducks."

Conversely, geese are almost entirely vegetarian, with fish and insect proteins reported only in barely detectable amounts.22

As for Nicholas Maduros, he is "the former executive director of the Artisan Farmers Alliance (www.artisanfarmers.org), a Washington-based group that represents America's foie gras farmers and others involved in artisanal agricultural products."23

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

A report done in much detail in reply to the assertation that: "The 'cruelty' is quite obvious and there is, therefore, no need for scientific investigation."

http://www.artisanfarmers.org/images/Foie_Gras_Study_by_Dr._Guemene.pdf

There are other informative websites, here are a few:
legalfoiegras-dot-blogspot-com/
www.artisanfarmers.org
foie-dot-blogspot-dot-com

The truth:

For the record, we would never say, "'The 'cruelty' is quite obvious and there is, therefore, no need for scientific investigation.'" Scientific evidence is immensely important in a situation such as this, and as shown by this response and our referenced sources, there clearly exists a wealth of investigative material in regards the cruelty of foie gras.

[We also apologize for the strangely-formatted links above. Our server has a security restriction on links to blogspot, so we had to work around that restriction. The links should still go to the same place as in the original document. The third link is apparently a typo – it should probably be: foietopia dot blogspot dot com.]

Artisanfarmers.org is the website of Artisan Farmers, an organization composed of foie gras producers. The Foietopia blog is the blog of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, the largest producer in the United States. The legalfoiegras blog is quite possibly the only semi-impartial of the three, but the resident blogger has a prominent link to the Center for Consumer Freedom, an organization originally bankrolled by big tobacco and a major opponent of animal welfare and animal On the left, ducks being force-fed. On the right, a pelagic cormorant or a similar bird, eating a fish. rights,24 which indicates a serious bias. In the past, the CCF has also campaigned against the Americans with Disabilities Act and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Interestingly, the Artisan Farmers website has a picture of a farmworker force-feeding ducks next to a picture of a pelagic cormorant (or a similar bird) eating a large fish, supposedly to illustrate that force-feeding is a "natural" process. They apparently could not find a picture of a duck eating a fish, probably because none of the types of ducks used in foie gras production eat fish. This indicates that this organization is quite ready to bend the truth to present a positive image.25

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Mortality of rates of animals:
on factory duck farms 12-15%
on chicken/pig farms 4-5%
on foie gras farms 2-4%
(of course the mortality rate of all animals is 100%, this is the pre-culling rate)

The truth:

According to the study by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Union mortality rates at foie gras farms are ten to twenty-five times higher than those at conventional factory duck farms.26 This is a difficult statistic to measure, and the EU report attempts to compare similar kinds of ducks at the comparable period of their lives. The report notes the small amount of data available on duck mortality rates.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Please educate yourselves on the subject. We at Fuel Restaurant try to learn and pass along information about any of our products to any customer in as much detail as they would like to hear.

We thank the farmers for caring. We thank the customers for asking. We thank you for reading this pamphlet.

The videos of the ducks are unsettling.

We would all agree that the aggression depicted in the videos of Quebec Foie Gras Farms is senseless and unacceptable. No one would condone decapitating, kicking, and asphyxiating ducks in that manner. We, however, do not believe that it represents the industry as a whole. Even the most unsympathetic of meat eaters would agree that it only makes sense to raise animals in a humane way. The happier the animal, the better the meat.

The truth:

In reference to the statement that "the happier the animal, the better the meat," it must be noted that no evidence has been presented to support this idea. An obvious counter-example would be veal, which involves calves being tethered to a crate and fed an iron-deficient diet for several months. At the end of this period most are unable to walk, as their muscles have not developed properly. Veal production has long been known to be immensely cruel, and veal calves could in no sense be termed "happy." The more anaemic the calves are, the better their meat tastes. This process is necessary in order to produce the deliciously soft and tender flesh of "milk-fed" veal.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

Let's try to keep an open mind.

Nothing is black and white, there are often many sides to a story. We would prefer to educate, rather than preach one side of the story. This way the consumer can make their own carefully thought out decisions.
For centuries we have lived on an omnivorous diet often heavy on fatty meat.

Records show that as far back as 2500 BC, the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding.We know that ducks naturally gorge themselves before migration in the wild.
In other words, an enlarged liver for a duck is not a sick liver as it would be in our case.

The truth:

We have already established earlier in this response that the ducks used for foie gras are not of a migratory species, so the tendency for some ducks to fatten An enormous foie gras liver as compared to the liver of a healthy duck. their liver (up to twice its normal size, not eight to ten times) prior to migration is irrelevant. Additionally, foie gras is the product of a sick animal suffering from a condition known as hepatic steatosis – literally, "fatty liver." In his study of foie gras, French veterinarian Dr. Yvan Beck states that, "Foie gras is in fact a diseased liver. . . Forced feeding of waterfowl, or food induced hepatic steatosis."27

Dr. Heimann, a veterinary pathologist, agrees, saying, "The liver steatosis caused by 'gavage' is a pathological process that shows itself first by a fatty degerneration of the hepatic cells and then by necrosis. The fatty liver cannot be seen as normal. It is a categorical sign of a state of illness with clinical symptoms."28

Hepatic steatosis can occur in humans as well. It is most commonly associated with alcoholism and obesity-related conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

Chef Belcham of Fuel says:

There is no doubt that the human tradition of foie gras exploits this ability of theirs, but can it be as unethical as it appears? It's something we've been doing for thousands of years. These are hardly worse than many of the other practices now being used to provide us with meat, vegetables, coffee and more. Think of the massive factory farms practices, such as over-irrigation polluting underground water or the countless numbers of farmers living below the poverty line to support these farms.

The truth:

Just because we do horrible things does not excuse any of them. Saying that a particular practice is acceptable because we do things that are worse is no real excuse at all. What this is really arguing is that we should also stop doing those other horrible things. Simply because an abusive practice has been happening for thousands of years does not mean that it should continue. Most countries have made slavery illegal, even though the practice of slavery has existed for as long as agriculture. Women were also granted the right to vote last century after thousands of years of less than equal treatment. It's hard to let go of traditions, but in many cases it is the right thing to do.