DC and Denver Voters Weigh Foie Gras Measures as Animal Outlook Footage Circulates

The farmer holds a duck's head and neck as feed runs through a funnel and metal pipe inserted into the duck's throat.

Several ducks pant with their beaks open. Many have soiled feathers.

Ducks on bare ground in the outdoor area of the farm.

With DC early voting opening October 26, Animal Outlook footage from a small Minnesota farm shows the force-feeding two ballot measures would address.

On November 3, voters in Washington, DC and Denver get to answer a simple question: should a product that cannot be made without force-feeding be sold in their city?”

— Eva Hamer, Executive Director, Pro-Animal Future

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Early voting opens in Washington, DC on Monday, October 26, and mail ballots are already in the hands of voters in DC and Denver. Both cities will decide on November 3 whether to prohibit the sale of foie gras produced by force-feeding: Initiative 86 in DC and Initiated Ordinance 311 in Denver. Last week the national animal protection organization Animal Outlook released video recorded at a small foie gras farm in southeastern Minnesota that shows the practice the two measures address. Video and stills are available here.

According to Animal Outlook, the footage shows the following:

Ducks are housed in a barn with wire flooring for the final two weeks of their lives and are fed twice a day through a metal tube inserted into the esophagus, a process known as gavage.
During feeding, each duck is held by the wing or head while feed is delivered through the tube.
Ducks move to the far end of the pen as the farmer approaches.
Some ducks are panting, one is unable to stand, and one is dead. Animal Outlook reports that when asked, the farmer said he did not know the cause of death.
The outdoor area visible in the footage is bare ground.

"Small producers have said for years that force-feeding can be done humanely. We filmed a small farm doing it, and what we saw is the same procedure used everywhere else: a metal tube down the throat of every bird, twice a day, to enlarge the liver. In our view there is no humane version of this practice," said Ben Williamson, Executive Director of Animal Outlook.

ABOUT FOIE GRAS AND FORCE-FEEDING: Foie gras is produced by feeding ducks or geese more than they would eat voluntarily, which enlarges the liver through fat accumulation. A 2026 review of the scientific literature reported that repeated restraint and tube insertion can injure the upper digestive tract and that force-feeding produces marked liver enlargement, altered liver function, reduced mobility and elevated mortality. Force-feeding is prohibited in more than 20 countries. The sale of force-fed foie gras is prohibited in California, New York City, Pittsburgh and Portland, Oregon, which adopted its ordinance in June 2026.

THE TWO BALLOT MEASURES: Initiative 86, the Prohibiting the Force-Feeding of Birds Act of 2026, and Denver's Initiated Ordinance 311 would each prohibit the sale of foie gras produced by force-feeding, effective July 1, 2027.

In Washington, DC, 198 volunteer circulators collected 46,020 signatures, and the DC Board of Elections certified the measure for the ballot on August 5 after verifying 31,726 of them, above the 28,728 required.
In Denver, 84 volunteers collected more than 16,000 signatures, and the Denver Elections Division verified more than 11,000. A 2026 Colorado State University survey found 85% of Colorado voters support ending the sale of foie gras from farms that force-feed. Denver's official ballot information booklet lists no written comments submitted against the measure.
Initiative 86 is endorsed by more than 100 businesses, organizations and officials, including DC Shadow Representative Oye Owolewa. Initiated Ordinance 311 is endorsed by more than 135 organizations, including the Democratic Party of Denver.

KEY VOTING DATES: In DC, early voting runs October 26 to November 1, and same-day registration is available during early voting and on Election Day. In Denver, 24-hour drop boxes are open through 7 p.m. on Election Day, and voter service and polling centers are open in phases through November 3. Election Day in both cities is Tuesday, November 3.

Both campaigns are projects of Pro-Animal Future, which led the Portland, Oregon campaign.

"Voters in both cities now have the measures and the footage in front of them. Our role is to make sure they know what force-feeding involves before they fill in their ballots. Hundreds of volunteers placed these measures on the ballot, and local restaurants, veterinarians and officials have endorsed them," said Eva Hamer, Executive Director of Pro-Animal Future.

About Animal Outlook: Animal Outlook is a national nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, DC that has worked since 1995 on undercover investigations, legal advocacy and corporate reform.

About Pro-Animal Future: Pro-Animal Future is a grassroots movement of voters, volunteers and donors working to pass laws that reflect their communities' values on the humane treatment of animals. It supports the campaign committees, Pro-Animal DC and Pro-Animal Colorado, that sponsor Initiative 86 and Initiated Ordinance 311.

Paid for by Pro-Animal Colorado and Pro-Animal DC. Treasurer, Cady Witt. 1375 Kenyon St NW #414, Washington, DC 20010. A copy of our report is filed with the Director of Campaign Finance of the DC Board of Elections.

Eva Hamer
Pro-Animal Future
+1 707-832-8784
Visit us on social media:
Instagram

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

You just read:

DC and Denver Voters Weigh Foie Gras Measures as Animal Outlook Footage Circulates

EIN Presswire's priority is author transparency. We do our best to weed out false and misleading content. The content above is the sole responsibility of the author who makes it available. If you have any complaints, kindly contact the author above.