PROTECT BIRDS.
END CRUELTY.
FORCE FEEDING IS CRUEL AND UNNECESSARY.
This November, you can end it.Vote YES on 311.
Force-feeding is a brutal practice that causes suffering to millions of birds, all for an expensive dish served at fancy restaurants.
In recent polling from CSU, 85% of Colorado voters said they support ending the sale of foie gras produced using force feeding methods.
WHAT IS Initiated Ordinance 311?
Initiated Ordinance 311, also known as the “Prohibit Force-Feeding Birds and Sale of Fattened Birds Liver Products Act”, is a citizen-initiated ballot measure to prohibit the force-feeding of birds and the sale of products made with force-feeding (including foie gras) in the city of Denver.
Initiated Ordinance 311 officially qualified for the November 3rd, 2026 General Election ballot in Denver thanks to the hard work of our team of 85 volunteers.
How is Foie Gras Made?
Foie gras, French for “fatty liver”, is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until their livers become diseased and enlarged at least 6 times their normal, healthy size.
Force-feeding involves shoving thick, foot-long tubes down birds’ throats multiple times a day to pump large amounts of food directly into their stomachs.
This process causes birds livers to become diseased. Ducks and geese raised for foie gras come away from feedings with painful punctures in birds’ beaks and throats, respiratory distress and suffocation, and difficulty walking as they become too heavy for their legs to hold them. Mortality rates are up to 19X higher than non-force-fed birds.
We believe that animals should be able to live natural and healthy lives. Initiated Ordinance 311 addresses an urgent ethical concern without impacting the average consumer.
By challenging a cruel practice that harms many while benefiting few, Denver can take a principled stand without overreaching. Denver has a proud tradition of showing leadership on ethical issues, and this measure reflects our values as a city.
GET THE FACTS
40 million ducks and geese
are force-fed worldwide each year for foie gras production.
3 pounds
the average weight of a diseased foie gras liver.
Livers of healthy ducks and geese weigh about 1/10 of this.
1.5 million gallons
of wastewater produced by U.S. foie gras operations.
Waste runoff contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which fuel the growth of harmful algal blooms and oceanic dead zones.
20+ countries
have passed legislation restricting the sales of force-fed fatty liver.
Similar laws have also been passed in California, Brookline, and Pittsburgh.
“The process of force feeding birds in order to deliberately induce a disease state is patently inhumane, causing severe physical pain and psychological distress.”
— Dr. Lee Scrader, DVM
Cruelty Has No Place in Denver.
Denver residents care about injustice. The majority of us believe that force-feeding ducks and geese is unnecessarily cruel and should be stopped. It’s time to demand our government take action and protect animals.
There are two dozen businesses that still sell foie gras made from force-fed animals in Denver City Limits. As it’s just one item on the menu, there is no evidence that this policy would force any Denver businesses to close down or relocate.
Foie gras is not a culinary staple, it’s an expensive, unnecessary ‘luxury’ made with extreme animal cruelty. Join us in supporting Denver Measure 311 to protect the animals under our care.
Get in touch
E-mail: press@proanimal.org