Portland city councilors will discuss a citywide ban on the sale of foie gras on Tuesday morning.
In this July 18, 2019 photo, a bucket containing a feed mixture of mainly corn and soybean is placed at a cage of 12-15 week-old ducks that are about to be force-fed the mixture at Hudson Valley Foie Gras duck farm in Ferndale, N.Y.
Bebeto Matthews / AP
Animal rights activists have lobbied city councilors for years to ban foie gras, a fatty liver dish traditionally made by force-feeding ducks or geese.
Portland’s new city councilors have heeded their call. The policy was co-authored by Councilor Mitch Green and Council President Jamie Dunphy.
“There are a lot of animal rights activists and vegans who have been asking for something like this,” said Green at a December Arts & Economy Committee, which he co-chairs. “It’s an economic issue that is very important to people in our community.”
Not all foie gras is the result of force-feeding. The proposed policy only focuses on restaurants and businesses that sell “force-fed poultry products.”
Under the policy, any retail establishment that sells force-fed poultry could be fined up to $5,000 per violation. A fine would only be imposed if the business refused to stop selling foie gras two weeks after receiving a written warning from the city. It’s not immediately clear how the new rule would be enforced.
This July 18, 2019 photo shows samples of foie gras delicacy from ducks farmed at Hudson Valley Foie Gras duck farm in Ferndale, N.Y.
Bebeto Matthews / AP
Portland food industry experts estimate that the ban would impact fewer than 10 Portland businesses. Roughly 60 restaurants — none of which serve foie gras — have endorsed the policy.
California and two U.S. cities — Pittsburgh, Pa. and Brookline, Mass. — have recently banned the sale of foie gras.
Animal rights activists are the policy’s biggest supporters.
“This ordinance is about drawing a clear line around what Portland is willing to support in its food system,” said Eva Hamer, executive director of Pro-Animal Oregon, a political group that lobbies against factory farming. “Force-feeding birds for foie gras conflicts with the values this city has long stood for.”
The group argues that foie gras production has led to environmental violations and the outbreak of diseases like the bird flu.
Yet members of the public — and councilors — have questioned the need to prioritize this ban, while more pressing issues loom over the city.
At a December meeting of the council’s Arts & Economy Committee, Councilor Olivia Clark asked why the debate was scheduled to come up before a committee discussion around the city budget, which is facing a significant deficit.
“I just don’t think that is a high priority for the city,” said Clark, who asked Green to postpone the policy discussion.
He didn’t.
The proposal will come before the Arts & Economy Committee at 9:30 Tuesday. If voted out of committee, the policy will likely come to the full city council two more times before a final vote. If adopted, it would go into effect within 90 days.
