DUCK FACTORY
My husband and I have always loved France. We were
married there and after several years decided to live there
in the countryside. We chose a small house located in
a hamlet with seven homes. As vegetarians we were delighted
with the orchard and a large enough garden to be
able to grow vegetables. What a delight to wake up
to the sound of silence broken only by
the movement of the wind and the songs of the birds.
We were happy working in our garden and taking
delightful walks in the beautiful countryside. Then came the
news that was to shatter our calm and cause us
so much stress.
Our neighbouring farmer had rented some of his land to
a "gaveur", a factory farm force feeder. This man was
going to construct a "gavage" a force feeding
operation, five metres from our orchard.
This factory farm was considered to be agricultural,
so every effort on our part to oppose this monstrosity
was thwarted. The "gavage" was erected, and our life style
and those of our neighbours was ruined. The smell was
overwhelming and invaded our homes. The noise of the ventilator
was all pervading. The roadside drainage ditches overflowed and
the results could be seen in the stagnant,
stinking water in front of our homes.
To my husband and me as vegetarians the knowledge that
these birds were being tortured in a confined space
without proper ventilation was horrific.
In the "elevage", the bird nursery, the one-day-old
birds are sorted, and the females are discarded, placed in
plastic bags, and put alive into the dustbins. The males
are castrated by hand and placed in boxes to be
raised in the factory in small cages. These birds never
see the light of day. They are not allowed
to behave according to their instincts. Instead
they are treated as a commodity, as objects in a factory.
Later they are transferred to the "gavage" where they
are kept in a confined space and force
fed for twelve days. This enlarges
their livers, which are used for foie gras.
Force-feeding involves the ducks having a long metal
pipe inserted down their throats and into their stomachs.
This pipe is attached to a pump, which injects food
right into their stomachs. The feed is a mixture
made up of flour, sour milk, and injected with growth
hormones. This is done three times a day. Many ducks
die from the stress, the broken necks, and the ruptured stomachs.
Often, the poor, horribly injured birds are carried
by the factory workers who grasp them by their sore
and tumerous throats. Many of the ducks' necks have deep
wounds which are filled with maggots. These factory farms are
horrendous torture chambers for these poor birds. Also the whole
ecological balance of the area is being ruined
by foetid factory waste seeping into the underground
water table and rising to pollute streams and crops.
Elizabeth Keimach
WISHFUL THINKING
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