From Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)

We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Our courts treat animals like they aren't alive

Letter as published on NYDailyNews
August 14, 2024

Tuckahoe, N.Y.: Recently, the New York State Supreme Court thumbed its nose at animal cruelty laws by overruling a NYC ban on the sale of foie gras, one of the more extremely brutal food items. After ducks and geese are yanked by their necks, mush is forcibly piped down their throats until their liver explodes, causing them to bleed and vomit. Shocking video of birds whose throats have been ruptured by the pipes is available online. Food critic James Beard said, “I suspect they secretly enjoy being force-fed.” He should have tried it on himself.

A few years ago, we stood outside Trader Joe’s giving foie gras literature to a receptive public and urging the store to stop stocking it. With us were three tiny duckling foie gras survivors: Their beaks were mutilated, which is standard practice so they can’t attack each other due to intense crowding. This prevents them from ever eating normally, so they must be raised in captivity.

Modern factory farming is inherently cruel; however, there are also legal degrees of abuse. The court decided there is no “degree of abuse” for farm animals — instead, anything goes. This is a pitiful position to take, in deference to the farm lobby or any other reason. Animal protection laws are paltry, and worse for farm animals.

Yet, animals are sentient and intelligent. Birds have been shown to sing to their babies in their eggs. Until the law moves out of the 18th century and accepts current knowledge and consideration of non-human animals, please avoid this sad item. Surely, there is enough to eat without contributing to needless suffering. 

Kiley Blackman

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Read more at Stop Foie Gras Production