Senate refuses yet again to allow a vote on banning of foie gras | Opinion

• The Rhode Island Senate has repeatedly refused to vote on a bill banning foie gras production and sale, despite public support and no in-state foie gras farms.
• Critics argue that the Senate’s inaction is political gamesmanship, shielding the foie gras industry from public scrutiny.
• Foie gras production involves force-feeding birds, leading to health problems and significantly higher death rates.

Time is running out for voters, ducks and geese. For the fourth year in a row, the Rhode Island Senate has refused to put SB403 ‒ a bill prohibiting the production and sale of foie gras ‒ up for a vote. Why? It’s certainly not because of public opposition. A 2022 Zogby poll found that 7 in 10 Rhode Islanders support the legislation. California banned the luxury product over 20 years ago, and retailers like Whole Foods discontinued foie gras sales in the 1990s. What’s stopping Rhode Island?

The ban would not impact local foie gras producers because there aren’t any. The Rhode Island Farm Bureau just acknowledged that no foie gras farms exist in the Ocean State. A Rhode Island chef said that this legislation would not negatively affect their business. And yet, Senate leadership continues to stall.

Some might argue that food lovers will protest the ban. If anything, failing to bring the bill up for a vote would be the real controversy. The vast majority of testimony was in favor of the bill, and Providence has already experienced protests in favor of banning foie gras. 

So, what’s really happening here? Political gamesmanship. Senate leadership isn’t defending foie gras; they’re refusing to engage with the issue at all ‒ undermining democracy and shielding foie gras from public scrutiny. If senators believe foie gras should remain legal, they should have the courage to vote accordingly. If they don’t, they should stop standing in the way of the will of the people.

Let’s be clear about what foie gras is: French for fatty liver. This fatty liver is made by shoving a thick, foot-long pipe down birds’ throats and pumping grain into their fledgling stomachs. This torturous process causes a bird’s liver to engorge up to 10 times its average size. 

That’s the process. Consider the lived experience: a duck is grabbed by the neck and a pipe is shoved violently down its throat. The bird, sick and bloated, has difficulty walking and even breathing as their oversized liver pushes against other internal organs. These ducks experience death rates 2000% greater than other farmed birds, a direct consequence of the extreme physical toll of force-feeding.

At Farm Sanctuary, we have seen the aftermath of this cruelty firsthand. Rescued ducks Monet and Matisse arrived at the sanctuary terrified of humans, their bodies injured and diseased with sores and broken feathers. They were lucky — they escaped. Most foie gras ducks do not.

If Senate leadership believes foie gras is worth defending, they should have the conviction to debate and vote on the bill in broad daylight. But they shouldn’t hide behind political maneuvering while workers, voters, and farm animals suffer the consequences.

There’s still time to act. Rhode Island residents: Contact Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone and Senate President Valarie Lawson. Tell them Rhode Island should finally take a stand against one of the most egregious forms of animal cruelty. Hopefully, this year, the Senate will finally do what’s right.

Robert Procaccianti is a lifelong Rhode Islander and vice chair of the Board of Directors of Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization.