BRASILIA: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law late on Thursday to ban the sale and production of the French delicacy foie gras in the South American country, citing animal cruelty.
France considers foie gras traditionally made from fattened duck and goose livers part of its culinary heritage, but animal rights activists have condemned the practice of force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers.
Brazil’s foie gras production is tiny, so the ban on sales will effectively end imports of the luxury food from France.
When lawmakers approved the ban in April, French diplomats stepped up pressure on Lula to veto the bill, according to a Brazilian diplomat.
“The argument was that their production does not involve animal cruelty, that it is a cultural issue, and so on,” the Brazilian diplomat said. “But there was no chance of (a veto) ... It was approved unanimously by Congress.”
France is in no position to make demands of Brazil, the Brazilian diplomat added, citing French obstruction to the approval of an EU-Mercosur trade agreement signed in January.
France saw that deal as an opportunity to increase foie gras exports to Brazil, the source said.
After Brazil’s Congress approved the ban, the French foie gras industry association said in a statement that the law would breach the EU-Mercosur deal.
While a EU report found that foie gras production respected animal welfare rules, animal rights activists have questioned those findings.
Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2026
