8.29.19 - Can New York City Live Without Foie Gras? We May Soon Find Out
'About 1,000 New York City restaurants serve foie gras, a calling card of fine dining and proof of a chef’s classical training. But foie gras, which can be made from geese as well, has also been at the center of a debate over whether the process of producing the delicacy is humane or, as animal rights activists suggest, torture.'
'The New York City Council is leaning toward torture: It is now considering proposed legislation that would effectively ban foie gras from being sold in New York, one of the country’s largest markets for the product. The bill could come up for a vote in the fall; more than half of the Council has signed on as co-sponsors, and Mayor Bill de Blasio said he supports the intent of the proposal.'
'But foie gras advocates say claims of torture are exaggerated and politically motivated. Foie gras, as a luxury item, is an easy target, compared with animals raised industrially for wide consumption. “If you try to get people to give up their cheap chicken, you would have a problem, because it would affect their budgets,” said Mark Caro, who wrote “The Foie Gras Wars,” an exploration of the controversy.'
'Hudson Valley has offered to take City Council members on a tour of the farm, as it did for The New York Times, to alleviate concerns that the process of producing foie gras is torturous to the animals. But none of the bill’s co-sponsors have agreed to do so yet.'