A Taste of Heaven: Canada’s Foie Gras Industry
Eating pates de foie gras to the sound of trumpets — that’s how the 19th century English writer Sydney Smith described his idea of heaven. The rich and buttery texture of foie gras, French for ‘fatty liver,’ seems to melt in the mouth; delectable and silky. It’s a luxury item, considered alongside the ranks of champagne and caviar.
Its production has also been banned in almost 20 countries.
To make foie gras, one must force-feed a duck for two weeks in a process called gavage. The liver swells with fat to as much as 10 times its ordinary size, before the bird is killed.
Animal rights activists have long decried the practice as inhumane, and a variety of nations, including Germany, Sweden and Israel, have prohibited it. Activists point to abuses in the force-feeding process, as well as the health consequences for the ducks from the overly-fattened livers. And now, they’re demanding Canada ban it too.
“To restrain them and force-feed them through a pipe jammed down their throats with much more food than they would normally eat, with the intention and result of causing their livers to become diseased and fatty, is inexcusable,” said Esther Klein, a spokesperson for the Ottawa-based Animal Defence League of Canada. “Food isn’t scarce for us, so making an animal suffer because we like the taste of its diseased liver is disgustingly cruel.”
However, chefs and foie producers have long rejected these sorts of claims.
“Yes, the ducks are fed with a baster two weeks before slaughter, but I’ve seen the process myself,” said Ryan Edwards, the former executive chef of the now-closed Salt Dining and Lounge. Foie Gras was one of Salt Dining’s most popular dishes. “The ducks were in no way harmed. In fact, they come running when the tube is brought out. But, it has been a popular thing to hate on for the past few years.”
Canada has a small but thriving foie gras industry, based mostly in Canada’s French-speaking region of Quebec. The Canadian foie gras industry produces over 200 tonnes of foie gras per year, as of 2005.
Canada’s foie gras industry came under scrutiny by PETA in 2013 after it released a video which allegedly at Canadian foie gras farms in Quebec being kept in cramped and restrictive conditions. Now, PETA says it is looking to have the practice prohibited in Canada as well.
“There were ducks inside barren metal cages so small that the birds couldn’t spread a single wing or take two steps in any direction, let alone express natural behaviour such as bathing, swimming, or flying,” said PETA’s Director of Evidence Analysis Dan Paden. “Foie gras is so vile that numerous companies have stopped selling it and its production has been outlawed in more than a dozen countries — and it’s time for Canada to follow suit.”
However, Canadian foie gras manufacturers rejected these claims.
“Of course we treat our ducks well; we have to!” said Annette François, who owns Aux Champs d’Élisé, a small foie gras operation. “Stressed ducks don’t produce very good foie gras. I think the critics just see an unfair picture on television and judge the process. They don’t know the quality of our work and how we treat the ducks. The ducks have no problem with gavage; many of them even come running when we bring the tube out.”
Quebecois producers export their product globally, but it is most popular in the Montreal and Ottawa markets. In Ottawa, many upper-scale restaurants offer foie gras on their menus all throughout the year, though it is most popular in autumn.
Many restaurants offer their own unique take on foie gras, and some of the most popular offerings include those found at Two Six [Ate], which has served a foie burger on several occasions, and Gatineau’s Sterling Restaurant, which has offered a foie gras poutine.
Some of them have found themselves on the receiving end of protests from Ottawa-based animal rights groups, such as the Ottawa Animal Defence League (which is not associated with the Animal Defence League of Canada).
“We contact the restaurants in advance and stand outside with posters and pamphlets talking to the diners as they come in.” said Michele Thorn, a spokesperson for the organization. “We got a few restaurants to remove foie from their menus, including the menu at Winterlude in 2011. However, we’ve noticed that the restaurants often start serving it again after we leave, which is frustrating.”
Edwards experienced these protests first-hand during his time at Domus Café in 2009, before coming to Salt.
“We had protesters outside and it did affect our business,” he says. “Typically, these folks have zero clue what they’re talking about, but saw some videos of force-feeding edited in a self-serving way that paints a bad picture.”
Surprisingly, professional veterinarians don’t hold unanimous positions on the practice of gavage.
Ducks naturally possess the ability to expand their esophagus to swallow large amounts of food, as well as to grow their livers as fuel for later migration. However, gavage usually involves feeding the birds more than they would eat naturally.
A 2013 report from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association written by Dr. Warren Skippon concluded current foie gras practices do pose risks to the welfare of the ducks, citing higher unintentional mortality rates amongst ducks going through force-feeding compared to those not.
However, a 2014 study by the American Veterinary Medical Association was less critical. The study noted that while abuse and duck discomfort are possible in the production process, ducks naturally possess the ability to swell their livers and the process is reversible. As well, ducks do not have a gag reflex and can swallow large amounts of food without discomfort.
Regardless, public opinion is increasingly turning against the foie gras industry.
Even France, the heart of the foie gras industry which produces 16,700 tonnes per year, is starting to turn against it. A 2014 OpinionWay poll revealed that 47 per cent of French citizens agreed that more restrictions were needed on the force-feeding process.
Canada is experiencing a similar shift as more and more young people embrace vegetarian diets. The question remains as to whether the foie gras industry will be able to remain popular in the face of more resistance.
Edwards says he will continue to serve foie gras in the future despite the risk of possible future protests.
“I actually believe in what the animal rights activists are doing. However, as a chef, I cook animals, use all their parts, and waste little to nothing. I’ll continue to serve it from time to time because I love it and my customers do as well, and I will continue to support the farmers that ensure the animals are treated with respect,” he says.
