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The Daily Mail just reported that Prince Charles has banned foie gras from royal menus and “instructed chefs at all of his royal residences to stop serving the dish.” The announcement came after an activist in Bristol wrote to the prince about the cruelty involved in producing the stuff when she noticed that it was being sold in the royally appointed shop House of Cheese. Here’s how Prince Charles’ Deputy Master of the Household (i.e., the guy who writes back to you when you send a letter to the Royal Palace) responded:

"The Prince of Wales has asked me to write and thank you for your letter about animal welfare issues surrounding the production of foie gras and your experience in Tetbury. I just wanted to reassure you that The Prince of Wales has a policy that his chefs should not buy foie gras. His Royal Highness was not aware that the House of Cheese sells foie gras and this will be addressed when their warrant is reviewed."

That’s about as big a boost to Britain’s growing movement to permanently ban the sale of foie gras as you could hope for: If the few remaining establishments that are still selling the stuff won’t take it from outraged consumers, they might want to think twice about ignoring a frickin’ royal mandate. PETA’s president sent a letter to the Prince today, thanking him for taking this compassionate stand, and we’re hoping that this positive example from overseas will influence cities like Chicago to stand by their decisions to ban this cruel delicacy forever. Thank you, Prince Charles.

A little while back, longtime PETA member and superstar intern Mark Wiesenfeld discovered that Target was selling foie gras online, along with a book about the barbaric product written by one of the owners of Hudson Valley Foie Gras—the folks responsible for many of the nightmarish scenes caught on tape in this investigation.

As soon as we contacted the company to let them know about the cruelty behind this product (produced by force feeding ducks until their livers become diseased and engorged) they immediately pulled both items from their site. As you may be aware, there are quite a few corporations that kick up a great big fuss when it comes to making ethical changes in their business (I’m looking at you, KFC), so Target’s prompt action in this case is commendable, and we’re extremely grateful for it.

People tend to hear a whole lot about some of the edgier stuff PETA does (the naked demonstrations, the provocative ads, the quirky videos), but—although it may not make the news—we spend a lot of our time working behind the scenes with big companies to encourage them to make changes that will help animals, so it’s great to have this opportunity to talk about that important aspect of our work. Target’s decision is part of a growing trend among institutions that are taking steps to distance themselves from hideously cruel products like foie gras, and with more and more companies adopting this progressive attitude, we’re getting very close to a time when it will be banned outright in this country.

For more information about the cruelty involved in making foie gras, and to take a pledge never to eat the stuff, please click here.

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As of last week, the city of York became the first city in the UK to pass a motion condemning the sale of foie gras on the grounds of cruelty to animals. The City Council, led by Councilor Paul Blanchard, will be writing to hotels and restaurants throughout the city to inform them that the production of foie gras is unethical and cruel in the extreme. Here's what one of their representatives had to say:

"This is very much a first in the UK. We are the first council to take such a stand and we will be sending out the message loud and clear that York is a foie gras-free zone."

Unfortunately, this doesn't amount to an outright ban on foie gras sales in the city, but it's a hell of a good start. Most of the foie gras in England is imported from France, which has declared the product "part of the cultural and gastronomic patrimony" — a very sophisticated French way of saying "we don't give a crap about anything". The good folks in PETA Europe are working hard to push other cities to follow York's example, so I'll keep you posted on how that goes, and we'll see what the French foie gras producers have to say about their ludicrous "gastronomic patrimony" once compassionate people throughout Europe send their sales plummeting.

Congratulations to York and to everyone who helped to work on this campaign!

I'm excited to let everyone know that following negotiations with PETA Europe representatives, UK-based luxury department store Harvey Nichols has ended foie gras sales at all of its stores. For you non-British readers out there, Harvey Nichols is a super posh chain of stores, kind of like Barney’s or Bergdorf Goodman in the US, so this is a very big deal.

This happened a few weeks ago, but I never gave PETA Europe props for it. Better late than never I guess. Anyway, PETA Europe isn’t resting on its laurels after this victory. They’re already targeting another big UK chain, Selfridge’s, and you can help by clicking here.

I think I've talked before about how amazing PETA Germany is at coming up with stuff that's totally out of left field. They're literalists, when it comes to demonstrations, and the results are often indescribably compelling. Faced with the problem of how to convey to people just how gruesome the force-feeding of ducks for foie gras is, the Germans simply brushed aside all objections and created the world's first-ever Force-Feeding Demo. Great work, PETA G. You guys rule.

I just love Bea Arthur. She has been speaking up for animals for years, most recently narrating this moving KFC video and helping with our Petsmart campaign. Now she is turning up the heat on Beverly Hills restaurant Matsuhisa—where she has been a loyal customer since it opened in 1987—for serving cruel foie gras. Check out her letter below.

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Owner
Matsuhisa Restaurant
129 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Dear Nobu,

I have been a loyal fan of Matsuhisa since its opening in 1987 and have dined there nearly every week after. I have always loved the food, the décor, and the staff. That’s why I was so dismayed when I recently learned that foie gras is available in the restaurant’s side room. I cannot, in good conscience, continue dining at your restaurant as long as foie gras is offered.

The cruelty of the foie gras industry is staggering. The only way to produce foie gras is by ramming pipes down the throats of ducks and geese and force-feeding them until their livers become painfully diseased. These poor birds are pumped so full of grain and fat that their livers swell to up to 10 times the normal size. Then the animals are killed, and their diseased livers are sold as foie gras.

The world is speaking out against the cruelty inherent in foie gras production. Chicago enacted a ban on the sale of foie gras last year, and Wolfgang Puck recently dropped this cruel “delicacy” from his menu. As you know, in 2012, California will join 15 countries, including Israel, Germany, Switzerland, and the U.K., in banning the production of foie gras—and will join Chicago in banning its sale. I am an avid supporter of this cause, and I lobbied for the foie gras ban in Sacramento. It would be both savvy and compassionate of you to remove foie gras from Matsuhisa’s menu before the ban takes effect in 2012.

I am enclosing a copy of a video, narrated by Sir Roger Moore, depicting the horrific abuse of animals on foie gras farms. I hope that you will watch it and make the compassionate decision to remove foie gras from your menu. Only once I know that Matsuhisa stands firmly against cruelty to animals will I be able to return to my favorite restaurant.

Please contact me via Lisa Lange at PETA.

Yours truly,

Bea Arthur

… apart from the fact that most of them are reprehensible hedonists who care more about living the high life than living a good life—though they probably knew that already. Turns out that foie gras is a carrier for a rare but exceptionally nasty little disease called amyloidosis, which is akin to Mad Cow disease—another little gift from the meat industry to its buying public. You can read more about the discovery here, though as far as I'm concerned, the only reasons that anyone could possibly need to boycott this particular “delicacy” are right here:

In other foie gras news, my good friend Noah, who works for a group called Central Texas Animal Defense, has been very busy this month helping restaurants in his hometown of Austin get the foie gras off their menus for good. You can read about his efforts here.

Check out this amazing song and video made by Bryan Harrell in support of the Chicago foie gras ban. I particularly love the shot of signs that are popping up all over town because Mayor Daley is pushing to bring the Olympics to the city . . .

If you live in Chicago, this is especially important for you, because Mayor Richard Daley and Alderman Ed Burke are working hard to repeal one of the most important animal protection laws ever passed, the Chicago foie gras ban. Meat-industry lobbyists are putting enormous pressure on Chicago's aldermen to repeal the law, and the aldermen may vote any day on whether or not to repeal the ban.

For those not familiar with it, foie gras is a “delicacy” made by shoving pipes down the throats of ducks and geese in order to pump massive quantities of fat and grain into their stomachs until their livers become painfully diseased. The ducks are then violently killed, and their bloated, diseased livers are sold as foie gras. Foie gras is so cruel it has already been banned in 15 nations—including the U.K., Germany, Israel, and Switzerland—as well as in the state of California. Even many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, refuse to sell foie gras.

If you live in Chicago, please click here to find out how you can help keep this horribly cruel product banned in your city.

We’re also currently blitzing Chicago TV stations with this ad featuring Sir Roger Moore, the best 007 ever . . .