After the babies crushed in a hatchery in Gers, cows left on a farm in Gironde or even tears from a bull during a bullfight in Landes, the association L214 publishes new shocking images of abused animals. A few days before Christmas, a good time for consuming foie gras, a sequence published since the night between Tuesday and Wednesday shows as closely as possible the forced feeding conditions on a farm in Lotten.
Almost two minutes long and presented by ex-Miss France Alexandra Rosenfeld, who supports the association like other personalities (Juliette Binoche, Hugo Clément, etc.), the document reveals treatments that clearly go beyond the framework of good behavior. the sector’s interprofessional committee.
We see animals there living in morbid promiscuity, in cages that are too narrow, force-fed twice a day. Some are dying, others lie dead, “sometimes their beaks overflow with pâté”, condemns the association among their living relatives with supporting images. To facilitate the force-feeding operation, a grid flattens the animals so that the breeder can more easily grab them by the neck.
Ducks force-fed to prevent bird flu
L214 also notes that “the net floor causes systematic wounds on the legs. In these cages the animals cannot even fully extend their wings. Sanitary conditions are critical: many bodies left on the ground and in the slurry pit, dirty and poorly maintained installation, dirty water, ventilators full of dust.”
That’s not all. The association also points out that ducks are force-fed and no longer just ducks or geese. If the females are force-fed in Bulgaria, the tricolor foie gras sector, represented by Cifog (interprofessional committee of palmipeds with foie gras), prohibits it in France in its ethical charter. “When it comes to duck, only foie gras from males can be marketed, to maintain tradition and preserve French quality,” it says. And most brands that highlight a mark (IGP or Label Rouge) have also adopted these specifications.
A complaint of mistreatment
However, the bird flu crisis, which decimated waterfowl populations, has forced some breeders to force-feed ducks to maintain their production levels. This choice is a double-edged sword. For ducks of a few months gives smaller and poorer liver quality. They are also more difficult to force-feed because they are more nervous than men, “a source of additional injury and suffering and more prone to heart disease” condemns L214.
The association announces its intention to file a complaint for “animal abuse by a professional”. She specifies that “informed of the practices of this breeding, the Metro brand – a food wholesaler – suspended orders from the producer” accused in this document. An operator that we have not been able to reach.