In its answer to Written Question E-000126/2020 the Commission stated: ‘Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes does not prohibit the production of foie gras in the Union’.

The question mentioned the prohibition in Directive 98/58/EC of foie gras production by force-feeding (point 14 of the Annex), not prohibition in general. The Commission itself has stated in previous answers that foie gras can also be produced without force-feeding, a practice that is rightly considered a crime in most Member States.

The confusion between foie gras and force-feeding is one often used by the foie gras industry, but the Commission should not endorse the preferences of a single business, especially if it promotes an activity that can lead to arrest in many Member States.

1. Can the Commission explain why a question on foie gras production by force-feeding was given an irrelevant answer that reflects the communication strategy of the foie gras industry?

2. Can the Commission say whether it has changed its mind and now considers force-feeding compatible with point 14 of the Annex to Directive 98/58/EC?

3. Does the Commission consider that the CoE Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes is still beneficial for animal welfare in the EU?