Less then 24 hours after having a very enjoyable meal at Alan Wong’s sampling locally grown beef from Kuahiwi Ranch on the Big Island, I find out that the state senate has a bill that will attempt to ban the sale of Foie Gras in Hawaii.
Based from the language in the bill, they are making this an animal rights issue. The bill declares that, “The mortality rate of the birds during the force feeding period is six times greater than during breeding.” An odd statement considering the fact that any animal raised for human consumption has a 100% mortality rate.
I do agree that force feeding (gavage) ducks and geese in order to fatten their livers is unethical, however there are other, more humane methods of fattening the liver. This is something that SB2170 does not take into account. A blanket ban on all foie gras sales in the state because some growers still practice force feeding is irresponsible and unfair to ranchers who do not use gavage techniques. One thing that is apparent when reading this bill is that the proponents, Clayton Hee, Robert Bunda, and Russell Kokubun never consulted with foie gras vendors.
Many chefs choose to buy from reputable growers who allow the birds to fatten naturally. Gavage birds do fatten up faster, but the process of using the tube causes the bird to become distressed which in turn effects the quality of the liver. Furthermore, the number of humane growers is only going to increase thanks to a California law which will go into effect in July 2012 prohibiting the “force feed[ing of] a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird’s liver beyond normal size.” This July 2012 deadline will force California growers (which accounts for half of the foie gras production in the United States) to utilize more humane methods.
Aside from the fact that I love foie, news of this bill really rubbed me the wrong way because who are they to determine what we can or can’t eat. If I chose to go to a restaurant and order a piece of foie gras, then that is my prerogative. If they choose to ban the sale of foie gras, then they may as well ban the sale of chicken for the unethical practices of chicken farmers, or the selling veal because of the slaughter of baby cows. But why stop there, why not ban the sale of organic produce because some farms use underpaid migrant workers to harvest their crop? If you disagree with the practices of how your food was grown or produced, then don’t order it. Just because you may not like something, does not give you the right to prevent others from exercising their choice to partake of it.
Probably the most irksome thing about this bill is the fact that there are some serious issues in the state of Hawaii. The Furlough Fridays issue is still at the forefront of Hawaii politics. There is still a budget short fall in this state, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii has a 6.9% unemployment rate (tied for 9th highest in the country). With all the problems in this state, the three state senators backing this bill have chosen to tackle the issue of foie gras. An innocuous issue that, even if it passes, will not effect a majority of Hawaii’s residents.
Chicago passed a similarly innocuous law in 2006. As a result, chefs protested by serving foie gras without charge. The law was hardly enforced with only a few fines being issued. Eventually the law was repealed passing by a vote of 37-6 with no debate. There are more important issues that the state senate should concentrate on. Leave the menu decisions to the chefs and the restaurant patrons.
Song stuck in my head at the time of this post: The Rubber Duckie song by Jeff Moss
