administrative justice rejects L214’s appeal against force-feeding

For the Strasbourg administrative court, force-feeding is not contrary to European Union law, contrary to what the L214 association asserted, reports France Bleu Alsace.

The animal protection association challenged, in May, the practice of force-feeding geese and ducks for the production of foie gras, before the Strasbourg administrative court, considering it contrary to the 1998 European directive on the protection of animals. breeding, which states that“no animal shall be fed or watered in such a way that unnecessary suffering or harm results”. The court rendered its judgment this Thursday, June 6 through a press release and stated that force-feeding is not contrary to European Union law. Force-feeding does not cause suffering “useless” according to the court judgment.

Foie gras is part of the French cultural and gastronomic heritage, according to the Rural and Fishing Code. However, according to law no. 2006-11 of January 5, 2006 which protects this food in France, cannot be called “foie gras” one “liver of a duck or goose specially fattened by force-feeding”. The court ruled that animal welfare “was not part of the objectives of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union” and “Feeding methods causing suffering to farm animals may be authorized by national law when this suffering is not unnecessary”. The association has already said it wants to appeal the decision.