Three weeks after our groundbreaking foie gras investigation being released in The Independent, we’re working behind the scenes to make the best out of the attention we created. Here’s what’s happened so far and what you can do to help us.
- Restaurant Outreach
After talks with Open Cages, The Witchery by the Castle, Prestonfield House and The Tower, some of the very best fine-dining restaurants in Edinburgh, have dropped foie gras from their menus. Kyoto Kitchen in Winchester has also claimed to now be removing the product. Currently foie gras is considered a luxury food that upscale restaurants often feel they must offer, but achieving victories like this can change the perception of the whole industry. If Scotland’s “most famous restaurant” can get by without foie gras, then your local place can do the same. And if eventually foie gras is rarely even served, then it will be easier to achieve a legal ban on it after Brexit.
We can achieve more victories like this, but we need your help to do it. If you see foie gras served or sold in a shop or a restaurant, please let us know by emailing us at contact@opencages.org. Your message will be handled confidentially and we will address the problem in an effective and professional manner.
If you see foie gras served or sold in a shop or a restaurant, please let us know by emailing us at contact@opencages.org.
- Political Campaigning
Our petition, asking the Government to ban the sale of foie gras in the UK, has been signed by more than 1600 people. If you haven’t already, please join us in demanding a UK free from foie gras and sign the petition now.
The main opposition party Labour has already pledged to ban foie gras after Brexit, so as voters we must put pressure on the Conservative Government to keep up with the public demand for better animal protection policies. Reports suggest that Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and the Environment, is already facing calls for action on foie gras from his fellow party members. You can seize the moment and add to the pressure by emailing Mr. Gove at michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk or tweeting @michaelgove.
If you approach any restaurant, shopkeeper or politician, please be calm and polite. That way we can concentrate on achieving progress for animals, rather than getting stuck on a personal level. Together, we can eradicate foie gras from the UK.