§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make it her policy to discourage the consumption of pâté de foie.
§ Mr. SoamesPeople must be allowed to decide for themselves what they eat.
The Government should neither encourage or discourage the consumption of a particular type of food, provided that the total diet is healthy and well-balanced.
The Government are nevertheless concerned at the animal welfare aspects of pâté de foie gras production involving force feeding. They have made it clear they would seek legislation to ban this practice if there was a prospect of it developing in the United Kingdom.
It would, however, be illegal under the treaty of Rome to prohibit imports from other Community countries.