These are shocking new images.
A few days before Christmas, a high period of foie gras consumption, the animal rights association L214 publishes a video from a force-feeding room located in Lacapelle-Marival (Lot) where ducks are force-fed and abused.
This sequence, lasting almost two minutes, is presented by Alexandra Rosenfeld, former Miss France.
It was published on the night of Tuesday 20 to Wednesday 21 December.
In the video, the ducks appear in cramped cages and appear to be force-fed.
Some are lying on the ground.
Corpses are visible.
On some images, they are stacked on top of each other.
"
What these animals are going through is unbearable
"
,
launches Alexandra Rosenfeld after an extract of injured and bloody ducks, by the
"mesh floor of the cages where they remain locked up, which causes them injuries to their legs
", according to L214.
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The association also observes the fact that “
usually only male ducks are force-fed under these same conditions
”.
According to the charter of the interprofessional committee of palmipeds with foie gras (CIFOG), the gathering of producers and industrialists of foie gras,
"when it comes to duck, only foie gras obtained from male animals can be marketed , in order to preserve the tradition and maintain the French quality”
.
Here, L214 asserts that “
the females [were] force-fed instead of [being crushed]
, in the context of significant avian influenza in Europe.
Filing a complaint
In a press release, L214 also announces that it is filing a complaint “
with the prosecutor of the Cahors judicial court for mistreatment of animals committed by a professional
”
.
“
We were alerted by a professional who works with this operation
”
,
adds Sébastien Arcac, spokesperson for the association at
La Dépêche
.
Quoted by
France 3
, the general manager of the Capel group, owner of La Quercynoise where the images of L214 would have been shot, recognizes a “
clearly shocking
” video.
“
I would like to say that they do not reflect the reality of French waterfowl breeding.
They do not correspond at all to what we want to do in terms of breeding
, ”adds Pierre-Olivier Prévot for France 3.