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WALL OF SHAME
Many restaurants in South Africa continue to serve Foie Gras, with full knowledge of the cruelty it inflicts. Please write to these restaurants and ask them to remove Foie Gras from their menu's.  View Restaurants Desmond Tutu Quote
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. - Desmond Tutu Brigitte Bardot Quote
One should not eat foie gras. It is a cruel, inhumane, tradition and, as all traditions synonymous with suffering, it should be ended - Brigitte Bardot |
Foie Gras NewsSA Jewish Report - Foie Gras Article
Foie Gras is available at many local delicatessens and restaurants
in South Africa, Foie Gras is singled out world wide due to it
defining the worst excesses of human greed and self indulgence of the
few for fleeting taste, regardless of the cruel and painful process involved.
To deal casually or cavalierly with the life of an animal is
antithetical to Jewish values.
The Israeli Supreme Court on August 11th, 2003, ruled in a detailed decision, that force-feeding of geese and ducks, as practiced in Israel, is in violation of the law, and that regulations that allowed this practice are not valid. The decision is one of very few decisions of national courts worldwide on the welfare of animals used in the food industry "Harachamon" (the compassionate One) is a Creator whose compassion is over all of His creatures (as recited 3 times daily at synagogue services). Jews, are to be "rachmanim b'nei rachmanim" (compassionate children of compassionate ancestors). One of the distinguishing characteristics by which a Jew can be identified is compassion. Can this be consistent with selling, purchasing, supplying or eating of Foie Gras? Proverbs 12:10 states, "The righteous person regards the life of his or her animal." In Judaism, one who is unnecessarily cruel to animals cannot be regarded as a righteous individual. In view of these powerful teachings can one justify the force-feeding of ducks and geese to create pate de foie gras? Jews can only kill animals to meet an essential human need. For example, hunting for sport is not considered legitimate, and is not only discouraged in the Talmud, but is also prohibited in Jewish law. Some examples of Jewish legislation regarding the ethical treatment of animals:
Foie Gras is 'produced' by intense, prolonged suffering - birds are force fed huge amounts, through a hard non-lubricated pipe inserted into the throat, of a cheap, stodgy mass of nutrient-deprived corn pulp for a period of up to 28 days, during which time their liver will increase in size by a magnitude of 8 to 10 times the normal. Force feeding is a fact. Migratory geese never gorge themselves up until the point of death before migration. Such extreme behaviors would be physically incapacitating and would be contrary to their survival. The livers of wild ducks and geese may expand up to twice their normal size, prior to migration, not a ten-fold expansion as found in forced-feeding production. It is not possible to produce cruelty free Foie Gras. Any human being suffering the same condition would be hospitalised immediately in an intensive care unit. Many birds die painful deaths before slaughter due to damage done by laceration of the throat by the hard tubing, suffocation due to over force-feeding and more. The Table Bay Hotel
"It would indeed be the correct action to remove this item from the
menu. It has been decided that it will be removed from all menus at
the Table Bay going forward - this will include the Atlantic Grill.
The Table Bay agrees entirely with the sentiments of your organization."
The Table Bay Hotel Sep 2007.
Desmond Tutu, Helen Zille, Patricia Glynn, JM Coetzee are among those who support the campaign. In this regard, Conrad Gallagher has recently joined the likes Achim von Arnem of Cabriere, by also removing Foie Gras from the menu of his latest venture, Geisha and local Master Chef Ralph von Pletzen has condemned Foie Gras as a plate of disease served at an exorbitant price. Foie Gras continues to be banned around the world due to the inherently cruel nature of 'production'. With so many cruelty free, wonderfully exotic, gourmet foods available there is no need for Foie Gras. The No Foie Gras SA campaign is by no means to the exclusion of other abhorrent practices such as factory farming, animals in entertainment or fighting and the abuse heaped upon domestic animals. Indeed this is a small section of the work done on behalf of the silent majority of lives in this country. The 160kgs to 210kgs of corn mush force-fed to a single bird during 'processing' over three weeks would keep a starving family somewhere very well for months. 40 million birds die annually and 840 million kgs of grain is used for a 'luxury' item for the few, at the expense of the many, both animal and human. While in the grand scheme of things this campaign may seem insignificant, every cruel action towards those who are defenseless is one step closer to abuse of humankind. Selling it, serving it or eating it makes one equally guilty of the suffering of the birds as well as contributing to the hunger of the starving. Philosopher Theodor Adorno said ''Auschwitz begins whenever someone looks at a slaughterhouses and thinks 'they're only animals'." You can help by voicing your objection when you see Foie Gras on shelves or on a menu, by pledging to never sell, serve nor eat it on www.sentience.co.za - follow the Foie Gras link - and by joining and supporting Beauty without Cruelty, which educates the public around animal issues including Foie Gras. |
Colleen McDuling
Read what Colleen McDuling, Animal Behaviourist has to say about Foie Gras View Letter |
