Farm Sanctuary has been a pivotal leader in this campaign for decades, sponsoring California’s landmark 2004 legislation to ban foie gras in the state, while also rescuing birds from this horrific industry. But it’s been a long, hard-won fight.

Senate Bill 1520, which passed in 2004 with a 7.5-year phase-in period, was intended to prohibit the production and sale of foie gras in California beginning in 2012. However, repeated legal challenges from the foie gras and restaurant industries have delayed its enforcement. The Supreme Court’s refusal this week to hear the industry’s challenge means that restaurants caught serving foie gras in California can now be fined up to $1,000 per violation of the law.

We’ve rescued many ducks and geese who came from foie gras facilities over the years, and have seen the impacts of this cruel industry firsthand. I think of birds like Monet and Matisse who arrived with sores on their bills from the feeding pipe, as well as cuts, scrapes, and broken feathers on their bodies that testified to lives spent in cramped cages. Today, they are free to live in peace and will never again know human cruelty.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has stood with us over the years and helped to make successes like this one possible. California is a political trendsetter, and the state’s ban on foie gras has the potential to create a ripple effect across the country. Last year, a bill was introduced in New York to make it unlawful to force-feed birds under certain circumstances. We’ll be in touch in the coming months with actions you can take to help.

On behalf of myself, Monet, Matisse, and all of us at Farm Sanctuary, thank you for making a difference. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this historic victory for animals.

Yours for farm animals,

Gene Baur
Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder