Roger Moore urges Emiratis to boycott new Fortnum & Mason store opening in Dubai

Sir Roger Moore, one of many prominent British figures who have supported People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA’s) campaign against foie gras, is appealing Emiratis not to shop at Fortnum & Mason’s new store in Dubai until the company stops selling foie gras. This came after the release of video footage revealing the shockingly cruel conditions on French farms that supply Fortnum & Mason’s foie gras distributor.

Birds raised for foie gras are force-fed huge amounts of grain three or four times every day via a metal pipe that is rammed down their throats. Their livers swell to up to 10 times their normal size, resulting in a disease known as hepatic steatosis. “Force-feeding birds to produce foie gras is cruel. Don’t buy it,” urges Moore. In a separate statement released through PETA, Moore goes on to urge all Emiratis not to be taken in by Fortnum & Mason’s claim to be quintessentially English, when it sells a product that is so vile that it is illegal to produce in the UK.

Foie gras production is banned in the UK and 16 other countries, which is why Fortnum & Mason shamefully pays French farmers to force-feed geese on its behalf before importing the diseased livers into the UK to sell in its Piccadilly store. PETA’s investigation revealed that terrified geese panted constantly as a result of their distended livers, which pressed against their lungs. At the abattoir, the birds kicked and struggled to lift their heads after a knife had been plunged into their throats. They had not been stunned first – contrary to French and British animal welfare laws.