Photo: Andy He on Unsplash.
Great news for ducks and geese! On Tuesday, November 3, voters in Washington, D.C. and Denver approved bans on the sale of foie gras from force-fed birds, and in both cities it wasn't even close.
In the nation's capital, Initiative 86 took about 73% of the vote on election night, according to results from the D.C. Board of Elections reported by City Cast DC. In Denver, Initiated Ordinance 311 stands at 67.6% in the latest Denver Elections Division count, 194,033 votes to 92,881, ahead of official certification later this month.
Foie gras is made by force-feeding ducks and geese to fatten their livers. Both measures stop restaurants and shops selling the products that come from it, and Denver's also covers transporting and receiving them.
D.C.'s law also covers distribution and commercial importation, and businesses that break it face fines of $1,000 to $5,000 and possible suspension of their licenses. Denver's version goes a step further and also covers transportation and receipt. Both are due to take effect on July 1, 2027.
This is a genuine first. California, New York City, Pittsburgh, Brookline and Portland already restrict foie gras, but none of those prohibitions came through a ballot measure, according to Ballotpedia. This time ordinary voters made the call themselves.
Both campaigns were run by regional chapters of the animal protection group Pro-Animal Future: Pro-Animal D.C. in the capital and Pro-Animal Colorado in Denver. In D.C. officials verified 31,726 valid petition signatures, well above the 23,940 needed to get on the ballot. On election night Cady Witt, campaign director of Pro-Animal D.C., said:
Tonight D.C. decided that force-feeding a bird has no place here. Thank you to every voter who said yes, and to everyone who worked to put this question in front of them.
The group's media lead Natalie Fulton was just as delighted. "73% is higher than we expected and we're so happy that people want to protect animals," she told City Cast DC. (The campaign's unofficial mascot, a duck named Olivia, reportedly "announced" the win with several loud quacks into the microphone. We approve.)
Hudson Valley Foie Gras, one of the country's two major producers, says it is preparing to challenge the D.C. law in court.
Why does it matter? Kindness is winning at the ballot box. These bans touch only a small luxury product, yet they show that when people are asked directly, big majorities choose to spare animals unnecessary suffering. Washington and Denver also join a wider international shift: according to 7News, more than 20 countries already prohibit force-feeding birds under their animal welfare laws.
It's the latest sign that people are rethinking what belongs on the menu. Haarlem in the Netherlands became the first city in the world to ban meat adverts, and that world-first ban came into force at the start of 2024. Germany's Environment Ministry banned meat at official government functions, and in Hong Kong Vow's cultivated quail went on sale, giving chefs a rich, indulgent option with no force-feeding involved.
Two cities, two landslides and a lot of very happy ducks. This is just the beginning.