In May 2004, the California Senate voted to ban force feeding and the sale of foie gras produced by force feeding in the State of California. The Assembly passed the bill in August 2004, and it now goes to the Governor's desk. A similar bi-partisan bill has been introduced in both the Assembly and Senate of New York State, with majority party sponsorship in both houses. Fifteen other nations have already banned foie gras production due to its inherent cruelty. Click here for how you can help!

The Animal Protection & Rescue League and In Defense of Animals are also suing Sonoma Foie Gras for violating California Penal Code Section 597, prohibiting the torture of animals. The official position of the ASPCA is that foie gras production violates both California's and New York's anti-cruelty statutes. Some articles on the lawsuit are below:

The Big Story With John Gibson, Fox News Channel, Dec. 4, 2003

San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 23, 2003

ABC News San Francisco, Oct. 22, 2003

NBC News San Francisco, Oct. 22, 2003

CBS News San Francisco, Oct. 22, 2003

In 2002 and 2003, the Animal Protection & Rescue League conducted an animal cruelty investigation of the U.S. foie gras industry and rescued ducks on the verge of death from organ rupture. Here are some articles on this:

San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 19, 2003

Time Magazine, Sept. 29, 2003

ABC News San Francisco, Sept. 19, 2003