Boycott this cruel delicacy, says Minister

Ben Bradshaw said European law made it impossible to ban the sale of foie gras, which campaigners believe involves cruel methods of production.

Instead, risking the wrath of the French, who regard it as part of their national heritage, the Animal Welfare Minister urged Britons to stop buying it.

"We believe that the production of foie gras using force-feeding gives rise to serious welfare concerns," Mr Bradshaw said.

"The most effective action is for individuals not to buy foie gras if they dislike the way it is produced.

"We hope that public pressure will contribute to an end to this practice."

Mr Bradshaw's call for a public campaign came in a Commons answer to Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock who asked whether the Government would consider banning the sale and importation of foie gras.

The way it is made horrifies animal welfare campaigners, who believe the geese suffer a miserable Geese are force-fed in foie gras production existence to produce the prized swollen livers.

Corn meal is pushed down the birds' throats using funnels in a centuries-old system known as "le gavage".

France is the world's biggest producer of foie gras although it is also made in other European countries and in the US.

Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are among the chefs who use it extensively in their restaurants in Britain.

The production of foie gras is banned in Argentina and Israel, as well as in California, where it is also unlawful to sell it.

A clutch of European countries have outlawed the practice, although none actually has a foie gras industry.

In France, foie gras is enshrined in law as belonging "to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France".

Last year, Chicago authorities tried to ban its sale, resulting in uproar among restaurants.

Some began serving it free of charge to get round the law, while others simply refused to take it off their menus.

Chicago mayor Richard Daley described the ban as the "silliest law' ever passed in the city.

Tom Harris, of the Southern Animal Rights Coalition, welcomed Mr Bradshaw's comments yesterday.

"We are really pleased to see that it has reached this level of debate and hope that public pressure will contribute to an end to it," he said.

Food critic Egon Ronay said foie gras enthusiasts were unlikely to be swayed.

"Those people who love foie gras will not be affected by all this talk. They will continue to eat foie gras," he said.

He added that some feeding methods used in its production were "obscene" but others – such as those in parts of Hungary – did not pose an animal welfare issue.

Foie gras, which is French for "fat liver", is the swollen liver of a goose or duck that has been force-fed fatty grain.

A combination of over-eating and lack of exercise creates livers of up to 3lb with a buttery consistency.

The birds are usually allowed to roam freely for the first few weeks of their life.

They are raised on a starchy diet which ensures their livers start to balloon in size.

At around 12 weeks the feeding begins in earnest. The birds are force-fed large quantities of corn boiled with fat.

This is pushed into the gut through a funnel attached to a long tube up to four times a day, for up to 18 days.

After the bird is killed, the liver is soaked overnight in milk, water or port, before being marinated.

It is then baked. It costs around £40 for a small jar. Animal rights campaigners argue that force-feeding is cruel.

They say the resulting swollen livers make it difficult for the birds to walk and breathe.