News
Get the latest news and updates from Animal Equality

Celebs and MPs back the call for a #FoieGrasFreeGB

As the Government goes into Brexit talks, we are campaigning for plans to include a ban on foie gras imports - and British celebrities and MPs are joining us!
03/07/2017 Updated: 3rd July, 2017

Joanna Lumley, Peter Egan and Steven Berkoff are all backing Animal Equality’s campaign, calling for a Government commitment to ban imports of foie gras as soon as we leave the EU. The initiative also has cross-party support from MPs.

  Leaving the EU gives us a unique opportunity to rid Britain of this extraordinarily cruel product, as trade regulations imposed by the EU will no longer prevent a ban being put in place. Animal Equality investigations inside more than a dozen foie gras farms in France and Spain have found extreme suffering, with the dead among the living in every single one. We are now asking all British animal lovers to add their name to our petition calling for a #FoieGrasFreeGB. Some of Britain’s best known animal advocates, including MPs, are lending their support to Animal Equality’s campaign.

                              Peter Egan: “The cruel and horrible way Foie Gras is produced by literally stuffing a poor duck or goose with grain until its liver becomes diseased and swells to bursting is disgusting to contemplate. We banned its production in the UK because it’s cruel. Now lets ban the importation of this cruel product. Make the UK Foie Gras Free!” Steven Berkoff: “We must ban the importation of foie gras to cut off this disgusting and obscene abuse of birds to satisfy this disgusting and obscene decadence.” Chris Williamson, Labour MP: “We are a nation of animal lovers and have rightly already banned the production of foie gras on our shores because of the extreme suffering it causes to ducks and geese. If exiting the EU will provide us the opportunity to ban the importation of this cruel product then the Government should do so.” Henry Smith, Conservative MP: “The production of foie gras is rightly banned in the UK but, whilst sill EU members, unfortunately we can’t yet ban its import. A real animal welfare opportunity to impose a ban on this cruel practice when Brexit is complete can be realised and I call on the Government to act at the earliest possible time.” Caroline Lucas, Green MP: “We have rightly already banned the production of foie gras in Britain because of the extreme suffering it causes to ducks and geese. Exiting the EU gives us the opportunity to ban the importation of this cruel product and make Britain foie-gras free – the Government must act now.” Sign and share the petition today at www.animalequality.org.uk/foie-gras.


Latest News
17th March, 2026

Animal Equality has published footage from a Scottish salmon farm, captured in late 2025, revealing fish with severe facial wounds and disfigurement, deformed spines, lice infestations, untreated wounds, and blindness. The West Strome site is operated by major salmon producer Bakkafrost and is RSPCA Assured. “Some of the worst head…
17th March, 2026

On 6th March 2026, Animal Equality UK delivered over 315,000 petition signatures to the UK Government at Downing Street, calling for an end to foie gras imports. Activists from PETA UK, FOUR PAWS and Viva! joined the hand-in in solidarity, united by a single message: if foie gras is too…
16th March, 2026

The vast majority of British adults want the UK Government to ban the importation of foie gras produced by force-feeding, according to a new poll commissioned by Animal Equality. A YouGov survey* of 2,137 UK adults, commissioned in March, found that 83% of those who surveyed (excluding the ‘don’t know’…