odile Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 terribly distressing footage on BBC news tonight about industrial foie gras production in factory farms in Hungary. Very small cages, several geese crammed in hardly able to stand- very dirty and distressed - and regularly grabbed and force fed through a tube. Absolutely disgusting. Very far from the bucolic picture of a farmwoman with a goose on her lap in the courtyard, gently stroking, easing the grain down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Seconded..I love foie gras, as most French people, but I only have top quality one, ( at Christmas ) so as to make sure it is produced in a way that is corrrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Salut Frenchie - I am so glad at least you replied. The film on tonight's BBC news were truly sickening. I feel that many people who live in France do not realise that the stuff they buy is factory farmed in the most appalling conditions. Quelle horreur - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 You are right. But in my family people are aware of that.My gran won't have it because of that.My son's the same.I'm the sinner [:$] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seb47 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Frenchie, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "produced in a way that is correct" but the following is my experience of how foie gras is produced locally.We love foie gras, but I decided to assist my neighbour as he helped regularly with the "gavage" at the local duck farm, to see exactly what happens. The ducks (not geese in this part of Lot et Garonne) live for most of their lives in an open field and are very content, with ample food and drink. However for the last few weeks of their lives they are "force" fed mais (corn) mixed with water. Each duck was kept indoors in a cage and seemed content to have a nozzle inserted into the gullet and have the corn/water mixture fed to them. The food goes into their crop and is then digested. My neighbour described this as "un petit cruel". The process is quite mechanised and up to 300 ducks were being fed this way, twice a day. This is supposed to represent the (historic) natural eating activity of the birds before they migrate. Their livers swell and they can then survive off the excess for the period of time it took to reach their winter habitation. This may or may not be true.I didn't see them being killed so cannot comment on whether this is "humane" or not. However I've seen my neighbour kill his own chickens by cutting their throats with a very, very sharp knife and it's as though they go to sleep.They bleed to death quickly and don't appear to suffer. If you are a carnivor, and eat meat I think you should know how animals are treated from birth to death. You then have a choice.I can understand why some people decide not to eat meat or meat products, but hope they take this decision based on informed choice.Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 pecheresse indeed! But at elast you are aware of the issues - and do your best to buy good quality artisan style stuff. Watch out for cheap imports from Hungary though.Amities Odile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I buy my foie gras from a friend who's a producer.I ve ssen the geese in the fields, they are never kept in a cage, just in for a certain period before being killed, and " gavées" of course, but it didn't seem cruel to me . Massaging the neck helps them swallow, and it only lastsa few seconds each time.Then I ve seen them being killed ( I was scared !!) but finally it was so quick, electric shock, in a couple of seconds..If I just think of the taste, I just adore foie gras.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maricopa Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I adore foie gras, and have always been aware of the issues surrounding it. Possibly I am wrong, but IMHO most people are aware of these issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Think so, yes..Foie gras is in no way paté !! ( I ve heard British people call it that !!)Sacrilège !! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chessfou Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I'm much happier eating foie gras from our local butcher (and not just because it tastes so much better) than I would be eating a standard chicken or duck from Aldi/Lidl/Sainsbury/Tesco/Casino/Leclerc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchflavour Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Foie Gras is a very contencious subject in the UK, however most UK meat eaters who buy cheap Supermarket meat will most likely be eating products which have come from "factory farmed" animals such as Pigs and Chickens. These animals are kept for their entire life in dreadful conditions, the Foie Gras ducks from reputable French producers are kept for the majority of their lives in a truly free range environment in stress free conditions. The ducks are normally only taken for the Gavage for the last 10 days. If you eat meat from factory farmed animals, then i don't believe that you have any argument against well produced Foie Gras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I concur FF. It's a bit much to get hot under the collar about fois gras, then eat supermarket eggs, let alone meat. There are too many of us on the planet who eat meat for there to be adequate amounts of "humane" production at a price we're prepared to pay, to satisfy our needs. Unless we are veggies or vegans (which I am not), then we have to face up to the fact that some animal somewhere has probably suffered in some way in order to feed us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 The programme highlighted the awful conditions of factory farming in Hungary - geese caged up for the whole of their lives, several to a small cage in filthy conditions.I would much prefer eat smaller amounts of meat/eggs, etc produced by good. humane husbandry. It's a pity to be given the choice of 'either be vegan or anything goes'. somebody is sure to come and say 'have you ever heard how carrots scream when pulled out. As quite rightly said above we need to make informed choices as consumers, surely.many will feel that the process described by Peter is very acceptable. some will not and some would, but maybe would change their mind if they had to be personally involved with the process.Did any of you see the programme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I saw a simlilar report a few weeks ago on French TV they followed on by cooking some imported and French fois gras and doing a tasting with a celeb chef, the imported stuff looked like greasy water after cooking.We did fois gras at my cookery class before christmas, there is a bi-lingual Canadian girl there who is a bit shall we say "american" she asked (in French) why is it called "gras"? When its method of production was explained to her she asked in a very naive way "isnt that cruel", I thought that she was taking the pi55 but she had been enjoying it at Christmas (or perhaps thanksgiving) for years without having a clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWINKLE Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I was a vegetarain for 10 years and started craving meat again when I was about 3 months pregnant ( don't judge me odile - I ain't in the mood[kiss]) I always remember during my veggie years refusing foie gras at a French wedding and the girl beside me remarked "Why? It's not the bird - just the liver"! [:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 When I was pregnant, all I fancied was pickles and cornichons, /// L honneur est sauf !! [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splishsplash Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 [quote user="Frenchie"]When I was pregnant, all I fancied was pickles and cornichons, /// L honneur est sauf !! [:)][/quote]I fancy those all the time....ooo'er does that mean what I think it means! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 judge you Twinkle? I am a meat eater so how could I? But I do try, more and more, to be better informed about how what I eat is produced and killed. One of my daughters was vegetarian for 15 years- although she loved meat - and reverted back when pregnant and just couldn't resist a bacon sandwich. She have never returned to being veggie- but she is even more careful than us about provenance. I haven't got a particular problem with foie gras - but did find the footage on the news very distressing... hence this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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