To Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture:

<h3>I am writing to demand that the USDA ban the production and sale of foie gras in the U.S. I care deeply about animals, and foie gras is the result of extreme cruelty to gentle, defenseless geese and ducks.<br /> <br />These docile animals are force-fed until their livers swell ten times their normal size, a diseased condition called hepatic steatosis.<br /> <br />In addition to this cruelty, USDA food safety rules state that diseased animals should not enter the food supply, yet foie gras continues to be produced.<br />Why is the USDA allowing these diseased livers on the plates of Americans? The agency’s job is to protect public health and to uphold the Animal Welfare Act, but foie gras remains on the market, violating the spirit of these regulations.<br /> <br />The time to act is now. I call on the USDA to interpret its regulations properly and BAN foie gras, a product of suffering and disease.</h3>