The Oregon Senate is currently considering a bill that would ban the production and sale of foie gras in Oregon.
The bill’s language says that,
A person commits the crime of force-feeding
a bird if, for the purpose of causing the liver of the bird to
increase in size, the person:
(a) Force-feeds a bird; or
(b) Directs or authorizes an employee to force-feed a bird.. . .
A person commits the crime of trading in
force-fed bird products if the person sells, offers for sale or
delivers one or more food products that the person knows to have
been produced in whole or in part by force-feeding a bird.
The Oregonian reported that animal rights activists believe the bill will pass in the Democrat-dominated Senate, and are working to try to convince the Republican-dominated House to consider the measure. The Oregonian quoted In Defense of Animals activist Matt Rossell as saying,
This is not a partisan issue. It’s about what we are willing to tolerate in this state in terms of animal cruelty.
Some Oregon restaurants and chefs, however, are calling the bill “extremist”. The Oregonian interviewed restaurant owner Pascal Sauton who said he added foie gras to his menu in November and sold about 200 orders. Sauton said that his customers “also appreciated that I stood up for people’s right to eat what they want.”
The full text of Oregon Senate Bill 861 can be read here.
Sources:
Foie gras prohibition bill advances to Senate floor. The Oregonian, Michelle Cole, April 19, 2005.