Federal Court Upholds California’s Foie Gras Ban

The US Court of Appeals recently upheld a 2004 California ruling that outlawed the inhumane foie gras production practice, which entails force-feeding ducks using a metal tube that is shoved down their throat. When CA officials passed the statute, they enacted a seven-year grace period, giving food businesses time to find alternate methods of making the cuisine and phase out their operations. Once the law took effect, the food producers filed a lawsuit against California to challenge the ban, then proceeded to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court when their motion was dismissed. The appeals court, which is made up of a three-judge panel, found that the state of California was justified in passing the law nine years ago on the grounds of animal-cruelty and inhumane circumstances. Besides the Golden State, Foie Gras is banned in the United Kingdom, Israel, Denmark and Finland.