Stop foie-gras being sold at Bute House
Viva! has discovered that the First Minister of Scotland – Alex Salmond – has been serving foie-gras at official dinners, even though its production has been condemned by his own Government – and it would be illegal to produce in Scotland. See the Viva! and Sunday Times expose here.
Please write to Mr Salmond and ask him to keep torture off the menu at Scottish political events. Use our pre-prepared email, or write your own.
Email: scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
"Dear First Minister,I am very disappointed to read that you have served foie-gras at your official residence, Bute House – and I respectfully ask you to refrain from doing so in the future.
Foie-gras is the grossly enlarged liver of a duck or goose and is essentially a disease, marketed as a delicacy. Birds raised for this 'gourmet' cruelty are force-fed enormous quantities of food through a long metal pipe, three times a day. This process of deliberate and painful overfeeding continues for up to a month by which time the birds' livers have swelled to ten times their normal size. Every year, around a million ducks die during this period of force-feeding.
Foie-gras is not produced in Britain, as the Government has made it clear that its production would contravene existing animal welfare regulations. Therefore it is sadly ironic that it has found its way to your dinner table. It is a strange way to represent Scottish hospitality – and its inclusion on the menu appears to suggest you approve of the cruel methods of production. I hope this is not the case.
Please can you assure me that foie-gras will be off the menu at Bute House in the future?
Yours faithfully”
Viva! has discovered that the First Minister of Scotland – Alex Salmond – has been serving foie-gras at official dinners, even though its production has been condemned by his own Government – and it would be illegal to produce in Scotland. See the Viva! and Sunday Times expose here.
Please write to Mr Salmond and ask him to keep torture off the menu at Scottish political events. Use our pre-prepared email, or write your own.
Email: scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
"Dear First Minister,I am very disappointed to read that you have served foie-gras at your official residence, Bute House – and I respectfully ask you to refrain from doing so in the future.
Foie-gras is the grossly enlarged liver of a duck or goose and is essentially a disease, marketed as a delicacy. Birds raised for this 'gourmet' cruelty are force-fed enormous quantities of food through a long metal pipe, three times a day. This process of deliberate and painful overfeeding continues for up to a month by which time the birds' livers have swelled to ten times their normal size. Every year, around a million ducks die during this period of force-feeding.
Foie-gras is not produced in Britain, as the Government has made it clear that its production would contravene existing animal welfare regulations. Therefore it is sadly ironic that it has found its way to your dinner table. It is a strange way to represent Scottish hospitality – and its inclusion on the menu appears to suggest you approve of the cruel methods of production. I hope this is not the case.
Please can you assure me that foie-gras will be off the menu at Bute House in the future?
Yours faithfully”
Click here to go to Viva's page:http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/foiegras/alex_salmond.html
Ales Salmond has been criticised for serving foie gras at official dinners even though the dish is condemned as cruel by his own government.
Production of the pâté, which involves enlarging the livers of ducks and geese by force-feeding them, breaches animal welfare law in Scotland.
Foie gras it has been banned by several leading high street stores including Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The Prince of Wales has also removed it from the menu at his residences.
However, Salmond, who is on good terms with the prince, has twice offered guests the dish this year at his official residence, Bute House.
In February, during a function for Chinese visitors, chefs served pan-roasted foie gras, pumpkin purée and truffle and Madeira jus.
At a dinner for members of the Scottish business community, the same month, guests were offered roasted cannon of fillet, oxtail and foie gras-filled dumpling.
Justin Kerswell, the campaigns manager for Viva, an animal welfare charity, said he was astonished that the first minister had allowed foie gras to appear on the menu.
“It’s sickening to think that ducks and geese are suffering the pain and terror of forcefeeding to grease the country’s diplomatic matters — especially as it’s a cruelty so abject it would be illegal to produce here,” he said.
Martin Shaw, the star of the BBC drama Inspector George Gently and the actress Jenny Seagrove, both of whom are Viva supporters, said there was no place for the dish in Britain.
“The production of foie gras is one of the cruellest and most degrading forms of animal torture. We should affirm our humanity by banning its use,” said Shaw.
Seagrove added: “Ducks and geese have been torn from the wild, and forced into cages so small they can’t even move their wings where they endure the pain and the terror of force- feeding. And for what? An unspeakably cruel dish masquerading as a delicacy.”
The force-feeding of geese and ducks to harvest their fattened livers has been banned in many countries besides Britain, including Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Czech republic, Finland, Poland, Italy, Israel. Ben Bradshaw, when UK animal welfare minister, called for a consumer boycott of the product.
While it is natural for migratory birds to gorge themselves to sustain their energy during long flights, opponents of foie gras say the delicacy involves unacceptable cruelty because birds are restrained while metal tubes force grain down their throats.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said that foie gras could not be legally produced in Scotland: “The methods of force-feeding used would create serious animal welfare concerns and would be considered to be a breach of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000.”
Critics complain that on some farms an elastic band is placed around the bird’s neck to prevent it retching up the food, with ducks force-fed up to 1lb per day and geese up to 2lb per day.
Critics say force-fed birds can suffer from disease and injuries including heart disorders, tearing of the intestines and rupture of liver cell membranes.
Spanish farmers have produced what they describe as an “ethical" version where the birds are allowed to overeat by themselves before being slaughtered. But this accounts for a tiny proportion of foie gras, which is mainly produced in France, Hungary and China.
A spokesman for Alex Salmond said: “The contents of the two menus were provided by an outside Scottish catering company, not at the request of ministers, and ministers have issued instructions that Scottish produce should be served at such engagements.” FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6879391.ece
Production of the pâté, which involves enlarging the livers of ducks and geese by force-feeding them, breaches animal welfare law in Scotland.
Foie gras it has been banned by several leading high street stores including Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The Prince of Wales has also removed it from the menu at his residences.
However, Salmond, who is on good terms with the prince, has twice offered guests the dish this year at his official residence, Bute House.
In February, during a function for Chinese visitors, chefs served pan-roasted foie gras, pumpkin purée and truffle and Madeira jus.
At a dinner for members of the Scottish business community, the same month, guests were offered roasted cannon of fillet, oxtail and foie gras-filled dumpling.
Justin Kerswell, the campaigns manager for Viva, an animal welfare charity, said he was astonished that the first minister had allowed foie gras to appear on the menu.
“It’s sickening to think that ducks and geese are suffering the pain and terror of forcefeeding to grease the country’s diplomatic matters — especially as it’s a cruelty so abject it would be illegal to produce here,” he said.
Martin Shaw, the star of the BBC drama Inspector George Gently and the actress Jenny Seagrove, both of whom are Viva supporters, said there was no place for the dish in Britain.
“The production of foie gras is one of the cruellest and most degrading forms of animal torture. We should affirm our humanity by banning its use,” said Shaw.
Seagrove added: “Ducks and geese have been torn from the wild, and forced into cages so small they can’t even move their wings where they endure the pain and the terror of force- feeding. And for what? An unspeakably cruel dish masquerading as a delicacy.”
The force-feeding of geese and ducks to harvest their fattened livers has been banned in many countries besides Britain, including Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Czech republic, Finland, Poland, Italy, Israel. Ben Bradshaw, when UK animal welfare minister, called for a consumer boycott of the product.
While it is natural for migratory birds to gorge themselves to sustain their energy during long flights, opponents of foie gras say the delicacy involves unacceptable cruelty because birds are restrained while metal tubes force grain down their throats.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said that foie gras could not be legally produced in Scotland: “The methods of force-feeding used would create serious animal welfare concerns and would be considered to be a breach of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2000.”
Critics complain that on some farms an elastic band is placed around the bird’s neck to prevent it retching up the food, with ducks force-fed up to 1lb per day and geese up to 2lb per day.
Critics say force-fed birds can suffer from disease and injuries including heart disorders, tearing of the intestines and rupture of liver cell membranes.
Spanish farmers have produced what they describe as an “ethical" version where the birds are allowed to overeat by themselves before being slaughtered. But this accounts for a tiny proportion of foie gras, which is mainly produced in France, Hungary and China.
A spokesman for Alex Salmond said: “The contents of the two menus were provided by an outside Scottish catering company, not at the request of ministers, and ministers have issued instructions that Scottish produce should be served at such engagements.” FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6879391.ece
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