FOIE GRAS – THE SICKENING TRUTH

Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League

There are countless examples of cruelty beyond disbelief in this world. One which I feel is one of the most revolting, unnecessary and barbaric is that of the process involving ducks and geese in order for a so called fine delicacy to be served on the plates of high class diners – foie gras.

Shame should be cast upon anybody who supplies it, serves it in their restaurant or consumes it. Think back to the ducks going about their lives when you visit the park. They are inquisitive individuals whom have developed relationships with one another and are meticulous when it comes to looking after their nest.

In order for foie gras to be created these animals encounter a hellish experience as far away from life on the lake as possible.

Foie gras, which translates into ‘fatty liver’ can often be found at some of the finest dining experiences – that of weddings, banquets, and at top hotels. It is best known as a traditional French cuisine.

It appears that many of the consumers of foie gras are unfamiliar with how it is produced, they just ‘know’ that it is delicious – something that should be truly appreciated for its fine and unique taste. I have been fortunate enough to attended some very fine restaurants which had foie gras on their menu – luckily I had never decided to choose it.

Since then I have been led to understand the cruelty linked with the production of ‘the delicacy’. I know for a fact that I will never touch it. I also doubt whether I should even set foot in those places again. They do not deserve the support for trying to sell such a nauseating ‘food’ item.

The repulsive production procedure

Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League

The method in how foie gras is produced is certainly not for the faint hearted. The birds are squashed into tiny cages with their wings twisted together, restricted from the freedom of even being able to turn around in dark filthy sheds, existing in their own waste and with no natural light.

Every three hours they are force fed with 4lb of a corn mash mixture which swells inside them, so much so that they literally reach bursting point. This would be the equivalent of us eating around 45lb of pasta a day. This itself is absolutely repulsively inhumane, but the worst is yet to come.

In order for this unbelievable quantity of corn mush to be pumped into the animals, huge metal pipes are forced down their gullets and straight into to their stomach, during which their insides are ruptured and their beaks are cracked. Their livers increase to ten times the normal size and the animals quickly become sick.

Some experience a painful death, with corpses left among live birds whom are only waiting to continue enduring this agonising process each and every day.

This torture continues for around three months until the birds livers are so diseased and overladen with food that they are considered fatty enough to be served on somebody’s dinner table. At this point the birds are shackled without a care and their throats are cut, only waiting for their miserable lives to drain away for eternity.

Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League

Eating a diseased organ

Foie gras is actually a very painful liver disease – fatty liver disease, which should be treated by a veterinary surgeon. Instead it is cruelly and intentionally induced on foie gras farms throughout the world – type the two words into YouTube and you can see for yourself the distressing process and effects. I am sure it will convince you that any civilised and sane individual would not want to let foie gras anywhere near their knife and fork.

In addition to this, it has been said that certain surveys have suggested that eating fois gras can lead to a whole array of diseases, including that of Alzheimer’s, and why would anybody want to eat something that was riddled with ‘disease’ and of an astonishingly high calorific content anyway?

We share the planet with these creatures that provide us with food, therefore these creatures who are often at our mercy deserve our upmost respect. They still have a face, just like you or I.

When it comes to the production of foie gras, this respect is failing miserably. It is a completely unnecessary food source being created, no matter whether it is a French tradition or not. We are living in a modern day society.

The actual farming of foie gras is banned in the UK, as it is it Israel and Switzerland, but there is no law to prevent restaurants or food stores from exporting it in and selling it. Marks and Spencers, Waitrose and Harvey Nichols no longer place it on their shelves, but there are many more food halls such as that of Harrods which still sell it.

Courtesy of The Animal Protection and Rescue League

Hopefully in the near future this barbaric delicacy will have become extinct. People need to be made aware of the shocking truth, and when they are I am sure that opinions will change and fois gras will be successfully banned throughout the world.

To read more about this cruel procedure and to support the campaign visit – www.banfoiegras.com

QPR: NEW SPONSORSHIP DEAL IMMINENT IN WAKE OF BRIATORE VERDICT

By Amy May Shead, Nathan Rowden, Stefanie Linhardt

Queens Park Rangers Football club is believed to be on the verge of securing a new sponsorship deal according to a QPR-Spokesman.

The new deal is likely to go through within the next two days, which could secure some much needed finance for the West London Club with the uncertainty over Flavio Briatore’s future as major stakeholder.

Although the spokesman could not officially comment on the Briatore case, of which a verdict will be announced on Thursday, he did hint that if Briatore was to exit, then the other sponsorship deals could possibly be in jeopardy.

Sponsors including Lotto, Santander, Gulf Air and ChronoTech Watches could possibly withdraw funds.

New Sponsor ‘TOYO’

Our informant would not name the new sponsor, however a new company boarding is already present in Loftus Road Stadium and has been for the last two matches – remarkably unnoticed.  After a brief tour of the stadium and eliminating the established sponsors, a Japanese based company called TOYO appears to be the only obvious candidate indicated.

The spokesman claimed that any result of the Briatore case would not affect the potential sponsorship from the new sponsor and therefore the investment could prove vital to the continuance of QPR in the immediate and foreseeable future.

It has also been rumoured that current shareholder, and UK’s richest man, steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal will purchase the remainder of Briatore’s shares.  When asked of this, the spokesman answered “Yes, that is one of the rumours”. Even with the potential Mittal-buyout the new sponsorship will secure some extra-income and put the fans minds at rest.