SONOMA, Calif. (AP) Under attack by animal-rights activists, a
prominent chef and his partners have promised to improve conditions
at their farm, where they force-feed ducks to make the French
delicacy foie gras.
Laurent Manrique and his partners told the San Francisco
Chronicle they will hire a French scientist who specializes in foie
gras production to evaluate their farm near Stockton, in the
Central Valley east of San Francisco.
``We don't have cages, true, but it is not enough,'' said Didier
Jaubert, one of the partners. ``There are sometimes animals who are
sick, and they need to be taken care of right away. There are a set
of rules and regulations, but the idea would be to go beyond these
rules and have the best production.''
The partners have also decided that foie gras will not be such
an important part of the merchandise at a specialty foods shop they
hope to open here.
The shop, Sonoma Saveurs, was intended to showcase products from
the duck farm, but last month vandals struck the store, delaying
the opening.
In an apparent protest against the treatment of the animals,
vandals spray-painted walls, fixtures and electrical outlets. They
also poured dry concrete down the drains and then left the water
running, flooding the restaurant and two adjacent businesses.
Vandals also struck Manrique's home in Marin County,
spray-painting ``murderer,'' pouring acid on his car and leaving a
threatening videotape of his family.
Police have estimated damages from all the attacks at more than
$60,000.
Manrique is the chef at a prominent San Francisco restaurant,
Aqua, and hopes that the restaurant will not be caught up in the
controversy.
``I really wanted to remove Aqua from the whole thing,'' he
said.
Although Aqua serves foie gras from the Sonoma Foie Gras farm,
the businesses are separate - a point Manrique says he will
continue to emphasize.
Jaubert said the attacks and the subsequent publicity have
pushed back the opening date of the Sonoma store until mid-October,
and the venture's focus has shifted from foie gras to other gourmet
food.
The partners also scrapped their logo, which had depicted a
smiling duck.
To make foie gras, the birds are force-fed during the last weeks
of their lives through metal tubes inserted down their throats.
Grain is then pneumatically shot into their bellies to fatten their
livers.
Manrique and Jaubert say they remain committed to a product they
say is part of their cultural tradition and defend themselves
against the activists. ``Basically, the big picture is these people
are vegetarian who want no one to eat an animal,'' Jaubert said.
``Foie gras is the first step because it is the weakest link.''
Sonoma police officials said Saturday they did not have any new
leads in the case.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)