Stop food dictatorship and harassment from activists!

Brussels, 15 November 2019 – Following our first press release (available here), Euro Foie Gras wishes to express its outrage at the new action of animal activists in a starred restaurant in the Limburg region offering three dishes based on foie gras.

In the restaurant, the activists asked to shut down Filip Callemeyn’s farm with signs and slogans. We want to recall that Mr Callemeyn is the only producer of foie gras in Flanders, a region where his activity was unfortunately banned from 2023 by a decision based on a lack of knowledge of the production and prejudices caused by false images and ideas shared by animal activists.

This attack against Mr. Callemeyn’s activity is scandalous. After the action on his farm and the occupation of an Antwerp supermarket selling his products last weekend, we call for the harassment of which Mr Callemeyn is victim to stop. This product is legally manufactured and marketed. Euro Foie Gras gives its full support to Filip and his family who are alone in dealing with these actions while their future is already uncertain because no compensation system has been proposed yet by the government.

Euro Foie Gras considers that a minority of people do not have to impose their food choices on the rest of the population, let alone by intimidation and violence. Euro Foie Gras also calls on the Minister to clearly condemn this type of behavior against Flemish farmers and breeders.

Euro Foie Gras, the European Federation of Foie Gras, brings together producers’ federations from France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain and Hungary. Its goal is to establish a continuous exchange of good practices, know-how and promote the profession of foie gras producer.