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Photo: DPA

Cologne food fair foie gras snub angers French officials

Published: 29 Jul 11 12:09 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20110729-36617.html

A dispute over foie gras has reached the highest levels of Franco-German ties after a Cologne food fair said the controversial French delicacy will not be allowed.

The Anuga trade show, which each October attracts thousands of the world’s top food experts to the Rhineland city, has pointed to German ban on producing foie gras to justify the move. Making it requires the force-feeding of ducks or geese to fatten their livers, which animal rights campaigners say is unnecessarily cruel.

But French government officials are strongly protesting the decision, which they say ignores foie gras legal production in France. And some official consider the ban a deep insult, according to the daily Rheinische Post newspaper.

“It’s as if we prohibited wiener sausages in France!” complained French Senator Alain Fauconnier to the newspaper.

In recent days French Minister of Food and Agriculture Bruno Le Maire has threatened to skip a planned appearance at the trade show. He also penned an angry missive to Ilse Aigner, Germany’s minister of agriculture and consumer protection, demanding the ban be rescinded.

Pierre Lellouche, France’s minister for foreign trade also told Germany’s ambassador to France to exert “maximum pressure” on conference organizers to rescind their decision.

But so far the German government has avoided involvement. And Anuga’s organisers say they’re continuing their convention as planned – without foie gras.

The Local/mdm

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

18:17 July 29, 2011 by Jack Kerouac
For once I am siding with the French. How can Aigner claim the right to ban a foreign food? If they did this to a Turkish food, there would be protests and accusations of racism, and then the Germans would back down. But banning something because a small minority are "offended" from an animal rights group (or any other group) is reactionary and small-minded. It's just a silly food, folks.
21:13 July 29, 2011 by willowsdad
Just think how many other foods could be banned based on what animal rights groups consider cruelty.
02:11 July 30, 2011 by Raccoons31
I fully support the Germans in their decision. As much as I adore both the French and the Germans, I believe their French fois gras production is one of the cruelest things on earth.
17:29 August 3, 2011 by RRROLES
The basis for the ban is not "racist", it's foundation is on the deliberate cruel treatment of an animal to make something which tastes like ass. I'll take a good liverwurst over a foie gras anyday.
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