New York City has officially moved to ban the sale of foie gras.
Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a pack of animal rights' bills into law Monday, including legislation banning the French delicacy.
Foie gras is made from duck or goose liver that is fattened by force-feeding.
(An image from a video online showing a worker at a New York farm, which specializes in making foie gras, force-feeding a duck or a goose with corn to fatten their livers.)
There will be a three-year grace period for food vendors before the ban is enforced.
Two farms specialize in the product in New York state.
De Blasio also signed a bill for stricter temperature restrictions for the operation of horse carriages in Manhattan. Up until now, horses have been allowed to operate only when temperatures are below 90 degrees. With the new law, after 80 degrees, if the sum of temperature and relative humidity reaches 150, horses will have to stop working.
Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to ban horse carriages on Day 1 of his administration over five years ago, but the city has been able to deliver only stronger regulations.
"There hasn't been a conversation here in the last two years about banning horse carriages," Democratic City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said.
Other legislation that the mayor signed:
- A ban on wild bird trafficking
- A requirement for animal shelters to post photographs of adoptable animals within three days
One pro-animal rights measure that has not yet passed the City Council: a ban on the sale of fur. That bill has not been taken up for a vote. It's not clear if or when lawmakers would vote on that legislation.
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