D`Artagnan obtained foie gras from the Hudson Valley alone. But D`Artagnan also relies on the farm to process chickens for her, which is worth $18 million a year. Hudson Valley Foie Gras and La Belle Farm in Sullivan County say they employ about 400 people and New York City accounts for about 30 percent of their business. Hudson Valley, which slaughters 800 ducks a day, said it sold $15 million worth of foie gras last year. By law, all foie gras is supposed to come from ducks or geese that have been force-fed, unless there is “documentary” evidence to the contrary. Most foie gras is made by a process known as force-feeding. The ducks are force-fed with a mixture of fatty corn that clogs their livers. The process requires the insertion of tubes into a duck`s throat for a 20-day feeding schedule, causing the liver to swell up to 10 times its normal size. The procedure can make ducks too big to walk or even breathe before being shot, animal rights activists say. Other cities and states have passed and repealed similar laws. In 2006, Chicago became the first U.S.
city to ban foie gras. Two years later, the city`s mayor, Richard M. Daley, called it the “stupidest” law the city has ever passed and successfully attempted to lift the ban. Farmers say the probe is not cruel, arguing that it essentially uses bird instinct to devour themselves before migration. Their central argument, however, focuses on whether the city has the power to order a ban. They say the city is exceeding its legal powers “by projecting its bylaws and policies far beyond its municipal boundaries.” They also argue that the ban is in contradiction with various federal and state laws that allow the sale of foie gras. “A foie gras ban in New York will cost more than 400 immigrant workers their jobs and their chance to realize the American dream,” Daguin said. “If this is truly humane treatment, we should first look at factory farming practices before closing small farms.” Chicago was the first U.S. city to ban foie gras after a city council vote in 2006.
But local restaurateurs, fearing that the new law would lead to bans on other products such as veal and lobster, decided to resist and continue to sell the product openly. A street vendor even made headlines after being caught serving foie gras hot dogs! “The result is that we sold five times more foie gras in Chicago after the ban than before,” says Daguin. “The city was the laughing stock of the American culinary scene.” Less than two years later, the city council struck down what former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley called “the stupidest law they`ve ever passed.” “If we don`t have the city, if we don`t have restaurants, we will close,” said Sergio Saravia, one of the owners of La Bella Farm. “There`s no way to pay overhead without restaurants in New York.” About a third of its foie gras business goes directly to high-end restaurants in the city, but “everything about ducks generates money,” Saravia said. Since 2019, Quebec`s two foie gras farms and producers have been waging a long battle against the New York law and are supported by the New York State Restaurant Association and one of the leading foie gras retailers in the United States, D`Artagnan. Founded in 1985 by Ariane Daguin, daughter of French chef André Daguin, the New Jersey-based company provides gourmet meat products to restaurants and consumers. “Foie gras and duck now represent about 15% of our activity,” says Ariane Daguin. “If foie gras is banned in New York, it won`t kill us, but it won`t be good for us either.” California banned foie gras in 2012. It was overturned in 2015, but a federal appeals court reinstated it in 2017. Last January, the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge, putting the ban into effect.
The outcome will likely be closely watched by farmers elsewhere. Animal welfare concerns prompted California to ban force-feeding geese and the sale of foie gras in 2004. The law only entered into force on 1 July 2012. Before and after, it has been challenged several times in court. Last summer`s decision was a glimmer of hope for Sullivan County producers, but not enough for duck farmers like Henley to celebrate the small legal victory. But Lutetia closed in New York in 2004. Cirque closed its last store in Manhattan in 2017. And foie gras, the calling card of fine French cuisine, will follow. A foie gras that weighs 90 grams can sell for $125; The bones and feathers of foie gras fat ducks are used in other products such as dog food and coats, said Sergio Saravia, founder of La Belle and head of the Catskill Foie Gras collective.
More than half of the city council — 30 members — signed on to sponsor the foie gras legislation, which was part of a set of anti-cruelty laws that advocates say were among the most significant passed in New York City in years.
