Campaign History
The campaign has only just begun, but Viva! has already scored some major victories!

Viva!’s campaign will make a difference to millions of birds currently suffering the torture of forced feeding
In 2004, Viva!USA was instrumental in getting a bill passed that banned the force feeding of ducks and geese in the production of foie-gras in California. The bill also bans the sale of the product when made from force fed birds, both provisions taking effect in the State in the year 2012.
Just before Christmas 2006, Viva! persuaded supermarket chain Lidl to stop selling foie-gras in all its stores in the UK. In 2007, Viva! was alarmed to hear that the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation was planning to serve foie-gras at its annual gala dinner. The horrible irony (foie-gras is diseased liver) didn’t escape us, and it didn’t escape the charity once we pointed it out to them. The result, foie-gras was dropped from the menu!
Campaigning by Viva! and other organisations has now seen wholesaler
Makro, House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols all drop this cruel
product this Summer. UK outlets are now falling like dominos.
Our targeted local
campaigning has already seen many newspapers covering the issue, and
has been instrumental in getting restaurants to end the sale of
foie-gras – including making Petersfield a foie-gras free zone! This
important campaign has attracted national, international and local
media (which includes The People, The Daily Mail, The Sunday
Telegraph and The Evening Standard) – which is important in
educating the public to not buy it.

Targeted media campaigning aims to make foie-gras socially unacceptable in the UK
Christmas 2007 saw Viva! hold one of
its national Day of
Actions. Hundreds of people took part, with
many
thousands of postcards sent and there were peaceful protests outside
of restaurants and establishments selling this delicacy of despair
right across the country. Positive feedback showed that many bowed
to consumer pressure and have taken foie-gras off the shelves – for
good! Those that haven’t are finding that ethical consumers are
avoiding them like the plague – and thanks to Viva! supporters
there’s more ethical consumers out there than ever before.
Our
new giant duck mascot Jake (fighting for bird justice everywhere!)
took to the streets and made flying protests to places selling
foie-gras in Exeter (Michael Caines), Manchester (Selfridges),
London (Fortnum & Mason
- which dropped duck foie-gras soon after!), as well as petitioning the people of Bath
to drop foie-gras. Jake was also present in Bristol when we launched
our campaign to persuade the council to follow the leads of York and
Bolton by going foie-gras free (find out how you can persuade your
council here). The
campaign also attracted the celebrity support of West End star
Josef Brown (Dirty Dancing), Heather Mills and
indie pop stars Jamie and Alan from The Rakes, Tahita from New
Young Pony Club, Gareth from Los Campesinos! and Sarah from The
Research.
In 2008, our
campaign garnered even more support from unlikely bedfellows
Prince Charles and London Mayor
Ken Livingstone, who were united in their opposition to
foie-gras and support for the foie-gras birds! Prince Charles'
support made headlines around the world. Viva! patron
Wendy-Turner Webster - and her actor husband Gary Webster - also
hit the headlines as Wendy petitioned her home council to ban
foie-gras. The result was that many places in Staffordshire couldn't
get it off the menu quick enough!
We also produced
a hard hitting new on-line film
The Wonderful World of
Gavage, which demolishes the lies and mistruths perpetuated by
the industry.
The fight for a foie-gras free
Britain goes on! We must continue to produce leaflets and cards for people to show their disgust to hand into local eateries and shops, and it is essential we reach every media outlet
to expose this trade for exactly what it is – animal abuse disguised as culture.
To do this we need your help. Please donate to the campaign so that we can print materials and campaign effectively – and help the campaign locally by
getting active.
Viva!’s ongoing Ducks Out of Water campaign has seen duck deaths dive by two million in the last few years, but without your continued support we cannot campaign for animals. We have already achieved so much together in the past, so please help in any way you can and ensure we can keep saving lives now and in the future.
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In association with French consumer group Stop Gavage

“It’s comes from tortured ducks and geese, it’s a product of disease and it costs a fortune but some people still drool and dribble over foie-gras. It’s obtained by imprisoning birds in cages so tiny they can’t move, by forcing a pipe down their throats and force feeding them until their livers swell to ten times their natural size. There is always someone who’s ready to excuse barbarity and cruelty and that’s what those who eat it and those who sell it are doing. But there is no excuse and that’s why everyone should back Viva!’s campaign to make Britain foie-gras free. It certainly has my support.” Viva! patron Heather Mills
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