French call for Californian wine boycott as US state bans foie gras
Aggrieved diplomats in Paris to raise issue with US ambassador
Paris
Saturday 14 July 2012
Related articles
A French MP has called for the boycott of Californian wine after the US state banned the sale of foie gras.
A few days before the ban on the making, cooking and selling of foie gras came into effect on 1 July, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had appealed to California to reconsider its position. That intervention failed, and the Ministry are now turning to public relations to try and convince the world that they are not cruel animal tormentors.
Foie gras, a delicacy of French cuisine, is produced by over feeding a goose or a duck, which makes the liver swell in size. It was classified as a "protected gastronomic and cultural heritage" by the French state in 2006 but opponents say that the force-feeding – known as gavage – amounts to animal cruelty.
The Ministry of Agriculture in Paris says the French government plans to raise the issue with the US Ambassador in Paris. But Philippe Martin, the French MP for Gers in the south-west heartland of foie gras production, proposed they go a few steps further. "I call on all the restaurants in France that sell Californian wine to stop doing so in a show of solidarity for our foie gras makers and, more broadly, for all food makers," Mr Martin has said.
Marie-Pierre Pé, head of France's Foie Gras promotion body, the Cifog, dismissed anti-foie gras campaigners as "animal rights activists who only want to push vegetarianism and put an end to the consumption of animal products," but rejected Mr Martin's suggestion.
"We want the consumer to have free choice – that he or she can buy wine from California, and that people in California aren't stopped from buying foie gras," she said.
Ms Pé wants to show people that the production of foie gras is not cruel, and plan to open farms to concerned members of the public. "Twenty years ago, people used to say 'it has to be hidden because people are shocked' but today we're saying 'you have to show people and explain' because you can see that our critics are spreading false information."
But the anti-foie gras campaigners are equally vocal. On Thursday, a group of animal rights activists held a rally outside the US embassy in Paris to support the California ban. The protesters wore T-shirts declaring that "every foie gras you buy means a duck has been stuffed" and carried placards that read "Thanks California for the ban on foie gras!"
Life & Style blogs
Million pound investment to bring Liverpool homes back into use
Dozens of empty homes in two of Liverpool’s most deprived areas will be brought back into use thanks...
London renters are getting poorer and moving further out
Plus, do energy saving measures boost house prices?
-
The 10 Best Scotch Whiskies
-
The 10 Best new smartphones
-
Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan, accused of choosing sex of baby
-
Uncooked curry leaves caused mass outbreak of salmonella in Newcastle, say health officials
-
Stripes set to be big for Dolce and Gabbana as fashion designers get 20 months in prison for tax evasion
- 1 Bankers could face jail after report urges the Government to introduce new criminal offence for reckless management
- 2 Breaking the Silence: In the reality of occupation, there are no Palestinian civilians – only potential terrorists
- 3 Richard Nieuwenhuizen death: Six teenagers and 50-year-old father convicted of manslaughter in shocking case of referee killed over a game of football
- 4 Exclusive: Newcastle's star talent-spotter on brink as Joe Kinnear sparks walkout
- 5 Vast methane 'plumes' seen in Arctic ocean as sea ice retreats
How will you make today delicious?
Tell us how you plan to make today delicious and you could win a £50 M&S gift card.
Win a Nook® Simple Touch eReader
Find out how Nook® is supporting the Evening Standard's Get Reading campaign - and your chance to win one.
Free reading festival for families
Follow The Standard's campaign to get London's children reading - and experience this unique event at Trafalgar Square on 13 July.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
iJobs Food & Drink
Graduate Trainee Opportunity – Executive Recruitment
£20,000 - £45,000 OTE: Co-Venture: Working on international markets without ge...
Graduate Trainee – Recruitment Consultant
£20,000 - £45,000 OTE: Co-Venture: Working for this company will give you a ch...
Associate/Director of Transport
£40000 - £60000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...
Travel Sales Consultant
£18000 - £35000 per annum + Award-Winning Benefits & Uncapped Comm: Flight Cen...
Babies behind bars
Sonic youth: The high-pitched sound alarm
The art of living in small spaces
'Teaching bright children isn't rocket science'
Can technology lure us back to the high street?





Comments