Media Release

15th December 2007

Indie stars say ?foie-gross? to ?foie-gras?

Jamie and Alan from The Rakes, Tahita from New Young Pony Club, Gareth from Los Campesinos! and Sarah from The Research have lent their support to Viva!?s ?Make Britain Foie-Gras Free? campaign this Christmas.

Viva!, Europe?s foremost vegetarian campaigning organisation, aims to prohibit the sale of ?fatty liver? in the UK - production in this country is already banned. They will be running a national foie-gras day of action on 15 December.

?Foie-gras really is barbaric and has no place in modern Britain,? says Alan from The Rakes, ?support Viva!?s campaign to make selling it illegal.?

Foie-gras production involves constraining ducks and geese and force-feeding them until their livers swell to up to ten times the normal size. It?s a highly controversial procedure, and councillors have already voted to end the sale of foie-gras in York and Bolton. Viva! are urging the rest of the UK to follow suit.

?Obviously animals that are stressed are going to be hideously unhappy ? it makes me really, really angry thinking about it, it should make everybody angry thinking about that?, says Tahita Bulmer.

Sarah from The Research adds ?It shouldn?t exist, it shouldn?t be in restaurants. I read recently about a restaurant that was serving it and I read a review saying how great it was and I was so angry, I felt I needed to write a letter and tell them to get it off the menu. I?m completely anti foie-gras for sure.?

The stars agree that there are lots of things you can do to help ? and joining Viva! is a great way to start.

?Joining Viva! is a great way to access a network of like minded people, who realise that by changing your diet you not only help animals but you help yourself and the environment,? says Gareth from Los Campesinos!.

?Sometimes it?s hard when you are surrounded by friends who may not share your beliefs on vegetarianism and that?s why joining Viva! is a great thing to do, you become part of a community or people that are all acting to help change the world.?

Check out www.viva.org.uk/foiegras. For more information on how you can get involved, or with any questions about going veggie or vegan, contact Viva! at, info@viva.org.uk, or make friends with them at www.myspace.com/viva_uk.