Springfield, Ill.— On the heels of the Illinois Senate passing SB413 (Wojcik) to ban the force-feeding of birds for foie gras, In Defense of Animals (IDA) and the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) have sent videos documenting the cruelty ducks endure on foie gras farms to the each member of the House Rules Committee. The groups hope the footage of ducks crammed in waste covered sheds, suffering and dying from organ rupture after having four pounds of corn mush mechanically forced down their throats will convince any undecided members to vote in favor of the ban. The mechanical force-feedings are necessary to produce foie gras because ducks would never willing ingest the massive amounts of food necessary to produce the enlarged, diseased livers. The footage confirms the cruelty inherent in foie gras production.

“We hope the members of the Illinois House Rules Committee are so disturbed after viewing the video footage that highlights the horrors of foie gras production and the cruelty ducks endure they will not only vote in favor of the ban but will strengthen the bill to include a ban on the sale of products that are the result of hideous force-feeding of birds,” says Kristie Phelps, IDA Foie Gras program coordinator.

Two weeks ago Chicago Alderman Joe Moore introduced measures to prohibit the sale of foie gras at Chicago restaurants. “The public needs to be informed about the cruelty that birds must undergo before consumers may feast on this dish,” said Moore. Under Alderman Moore’s proposal, violators would face fines ranging from $250 to $500. “We applaud Chicago Alderman Joe Moore and the Illinois Senate for making one of the cruelest practices in animal agribusiness unacceptable and extending the compassion and respect Midwesterners are known for to abused ducks and geese, the victims of the foie gras industry,” says Phelps.

To produce foie gras, workers shove rigid pipes into birds’ throats twice everyday for three weeks. The ducks who survive the feedings suffer from a painful illness that causes their livers to swell up to ten times their normal size.

The controversy surrounding foie gras production has become a hotly debated international issue, and at least fifteen countries including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Israel, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the Czech Republic have banned force-feeding because of its inherent cruelty. Following public sentiment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law that will ban the production and sale of foie gras from force-fed birds. Similar bans have been introduced in Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon.

For more information, please visit www.StopForceFeeding.com. Broadcast quality video of investigations into foie gras farms is available upon request.

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