LONDON: A Welsh restaurant has become the target of animal rights protesters over an item on the menu. Lilly restaurant on Llandudno's West Shore on Saturday was picketed by protesters demanding the owners remove foie gras from the menu. The demonstration was led by Vegetarians International Voice for Animals, or Viva, and they demanded the restaurant remove the French dish from the menu over the way it is produced. Foie Gras is made from duck or goose liver. Animal rights advocates argue that the manner in which the animal is kept is unethical and inhumane. A goose or duck is specifically fattened through force-feeding in order to increase the size of the liver. “This is simply wrong,” London-based Ryan Potter told Bikya Masr. “We should all not force animals to do anything because it is what we humans want. It doesn't make any sense.” In weird legal meanderings, the production of foie gras is illegal in the United Kingdom, but the country still allows the product to be imported from mainland Europe, mainly France. Viva spokeswoman Judi Hewitt said in a statement that “this is why we took our protest to Llandudno and paid a visit to the Lilly Restaurant. I find it very sad that a few owners refuse to stop serving up this obscenely cruel dish despite knowing about the horrific abuse to birds.” The Lilly's owner Phillip Ashe told The Daily Post that “we neither want to condemn or condone the production of foie gras but we don't see ourselves in the position of having to make the moral decision for our clients. “Our clients are sophisticated and knowledgeable diners who are aware of what foie gras is and what they are ordering,” she added. BM
