From the end of 2022, the marketing and possession of foie gras in New York will be punished with a fine of between $ 500 and $ 2,000, which may be renewed every 24 hours.
The outcome of Wednesday’s vote in New York City Council was little doubt as the text – which has yet to be ratified by the mayor Bill de Blasio – was supported by elected officials from Big Apple. “It’s a historic day for animal rights in New York“, commented, after the vote, Matthew Dominguez, political adviser of the association” Voters for Animal Rights “(” The voters for the rights of animals “), which played a major role in this file.
The animal defense association Animal Welfare Institute hailed, in a tweet, the end of the marketing in New York of “this inhuman luxury food”.
The text adopted on Wednesday specifies that the ban concerns products resulting from the force-feeding of animals. New York will join the state of California, where marketing has been banned since January, although this issue is still the subject of a legal fight.
Several business leaders in the sector in the New York region have told AFP their intention to challenge this law in court.
A “tragedy” for employees in the sector
The first affected by the measure will be the two large producers located north of New York, Hudson Valley Foie Gras and La Belle Farm. These two farms supply a significant part of the New York market, even if the measure would also have a more relative impact for French producers.
According to Hudson Valley Foie Gras, the amount of grain fed to ducks does not exceed what they could eat on their own. They also point out that the duck gizzard naturally has a storage function and does not have the sensitivity of that of a man. “It’s very easy to attack us“reacts the co-founder of the company, Izzy Yanay. His company produces 360 tonnes of foie gras per year, for a turnover of 30 million dollars. According to him, the activists attacked a sector much less powerful than that of the agri-food giants. Its 400 employees will have to face a “tragedy“if the measure comes into effect.
A non-constitutional law?
“We will fight“, reacted Ariane Daguin, founder and CEO of D’Artagnan, an intermediary which supplies a large part of the New York market with foie gras.”We’re going to go to trial. “For her, the new law”is not constitutional at all“. “It is not for a city council to decide what is or is not cruel to animals. “Foie gras and pieces of fatty duck account for about 10% of its turnover, or $ 15 million.
In January 2019, the US Supreme Court upheld the ban on the production, importation and sale of foie gras for California, but the legal battle continues over this decision.
France, not directly affected
According to Marie-Pierre Pé, director of the French inter-profession of foie gras, France is not suffering the consequences of this decision. “We have no approved company in the United States “ she explains. “Since the dispute between the United States and the EU on imports of hormonal meats into Europe in 1999, customs duties for foie gras, mustard and shallots have doubled in the United States” […] French companies have therefore stopped their USA approval“she specifies.
Marie-Pierre Pé rather denounces a “communication d’image“orchestrated by the American NGO PETA (“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals“) which uses this local product for anti-meat” propaganda “purposes.
“They have been taking action for 20 years, but consumption has never been so strong“she affirms, specifying that French exports mainly concern the European Union, Switzerland and Asia, in particular Japan. According to the website of the Interministerial Committee for Foie Gras Palmipeds, Paris annually exports 5,000 tonnes of raw and processed foie gras all over the world.
An innovative start-up
Today there is an offer of foie gras obtained without force-feeding, but its volumes are insignificant on an industry scale. A French start-up, Aviwell, is also working on an alternative process that could be used by industry.
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