Initiative 86, a measure to ban foie gras produced through force-feeding, has qualified for the November ballot, the D.C. Board of Elections said Wednesday.
“It’s made by force-feeding ducks and geese with metal tubes until their livers are diseased,” Pro-Animal D.C. media and content lead Natalie Fulton said.
“We want everyone in D.C. to vote on whether or not that cruelty should be allowed.”
To get the initiative on the ballot, the group submitted more than 46,000 signatures from D.C. voters — nearly twice the minimum required to qualify.
“We actually turned in more signatures than any other ballot initiative in D.C. history except for recreational marijuana,” Fulton said. “The dedication of everyone is truly incredible to me.”
While collecting signatures, Fulton said people didn’t want to hear about the process once they saw pictures of the ducks being force fed.
“They’d cover their ears or make faces,” she said. “If they knew what foie gras was, they were excited to sign.”
Fulton told Â鶹¹ÙÍø that she tried foie gras once “at a pop up that had foie gras funnel cake.”
“I didn’t know what it was. I just knew I liked funnel cake,” Fulton said. “Once I found out how it was made, I was pretty grossed out.”
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