Federal court ok's sale of livers from force fed ducks; Local DA prosecutes animal cruelty whistleblower, Animal Protection and Rescue League Responds

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson has just ordered the State of California not to enforce a ban on the sale of products from force fed ducks from Hudson Valley Foie Gras, based in upstate NY.  Meanwhile, District Attorney Jim Farrell of that area has decided to bring felony burglary charges against a whistleblower who exposed HVFG using long metal pipes to cram up to two pounds of corn mash down the throats of ducks per day until their livers are 12 times normal size to produce the controversial product.

"The federal order is based on a novel interpretation of the Poultry Products Inspection Act and claims that Congress intended to preempt regulation of the sale of any poultry related products," states Dave Simon, an attorney for the Animal Protection and Rescue League, one of the groups that advocated for the ban, and author of Meatonomics, a book about bizarre government policies and subsidies that cause people to eat far more animal products than they otherwise would. "We are hopeful the Attorney General will appeal this decision and the Ninth Circuit will reverse it."

The order takes effect just days after a California ban on another type of poultry product takes effect, which is the sale of eggs from hens crammed in cages so small they cannot spread their wings or move around. The sale ban was passed by the legislature following a wildly popular ballot initiative in 2008 also supported by APRL in which voters banned this production method in California.

The NY prosecution by DA Farrell is based on an affidavit a young college student submitted describing the cruelty she witnessed at HVFG. DA Farrell maintains the student did not have permission to enter the facility and is therefore guilty of felony burglary, punishable by up to seven years in prison. He has also ignored requests by ASPCA enforcement officials to prosecute HVFG for animal cruelty.

APRL has committed to paying the legal expenses of this whistleblower and has hired the firm of Schlather, Stumbar, Parks & Salk to defend her. A fundraising page has been set up at www.crowdrise.com/amberlegaldefense.

SOURCE Animal Protection and Rescue League

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