DC Approves Ballot Measure Banning Foie Gras From Local Restaurants
The measures target force-feeding practices that animal-welfare advocates call cruel, and D.C. officials estimate enforcement will cost $314,000 over four years.
- Voters in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, approved measures on Tuesday to ban foie gras sales and production. About 73 percent of D.C. voters backed the Prohibiting Force-Feeding of Birds Act of 2026.
- Pro-Animal Future, an Oregon-based advocacy group, spearheaded campaigns to end the practice, which involves force-feeding ducks and geese over about 12 to 15 days. Activists argue the technique, known as gavage, causes unnecessary suffering.
- Researchers with France's National Institute for Agricultural Research argue foie gras is a 'natural biological process,' noting pain signals were never detected in force-fed ducks. They claim 'degenerative events such as necrosis or cirrhosis never occur' in liver tissue.
- The D.C. measure requires $314,000 for enforcement and imposes fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for violations. Butterworth's chef and owner Bart Hutchins said he was 'incredibly disappointed' by the outcome.
- These initiatives are scheduled to take effect July 1, 2027, but past bans in California and New York City suggest these new measures may face years of litigation. California's 2012 legislation faced prolonged legal challenges.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Washington, Nov 4 (EFE).- In addition to electing their representatives to Congress and renewing different state and local positions, Americans voted Tuesday dozens of proposals on laws, constitutional reforms and municipal affairs, some of them as particular as banning the sale of foie gras or designating a 19th century rifle as [...] The entry Washington and Denver vote to ban the 'foie gras' and Idaho chooses a rifle as a symbol was first pub…
In the mid-term elections, voters in the U.S. capital overwhelmingly approved by referendum the ban on foie gras in restaurants and shops More foie gras in the U.S.
Washington, DC set to ban foie gras after viral campaign
Washington, D.C., is set to ban foie gras after a ballot initiative passed, though some hurdles remain. Opposition to foie gras, the cooked, fatty liver of ducks obtained by force-feeding them large amounts of unhealthy food, has long been a cause célèbre for animal rights activists. Pro-Animal DC got the proposed ban on the ballot […]
European foie gras producers are closely following the results of the U.S. midterm elections. In Denver and Washington, D.C., voters may vote on initiatives banning the force-feeding of birds and the sale of products..
If the initiatives are approved, the new restrictions will take effect as early as July 1. Similar bans have previously been introduced in India, Israel, Brazil, as well as in the U.S. states of California and New York.Foie gras is a delicacy of...
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