Brussels, the capital of Belgium, has officially banned the productions of foie gras within the city. As there are no production facilities within Brussels’ limits, this is a symbolic move that the city government hopes will be a form of inspiration for other cities.
“The ban is part of a clamp down on all force-feeding across the Belgian and Flemish capital,” Expatica wrote.
According to Bianca Debaets, secretary of state for animal welfare, Brussels made this decision to set a good example.
“Animals are forced to ingest large quantities of food,” Debaets stated. “This creates an awful lot of stress for the animals and they experience breathing difficulties. The animal’s liver can grow to weigh up to 1 kilo. Under normal circumstances this is barely 100 grams.”
Belgium is a part of the five countries that still produces foie gras, along with France, Hungary, Spain and Bulgaria. Up to date, countries including Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Turkey and the United Kingdom have banned the production of foie gras.
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