Md. lawmakers kill proposed foie gras banMd. lawmakers kill proposed foie gras ban

ANNAPOLIS Md. The proposed bill to ban foie gras in the state of Maryland was withdrawn Thursday, the Maryland Restaurant Association said.

“The bill was withdrawn in both the Senate and the House, which is a huge win for our industry because we knew this was a bill that would really be the first step toward banning specific foods on menus based on ethical concerns,” said Melvin Thompson, the association’s vice president for government relations. “We knew we had to stop [the bill] and we did with the help of our members who came out to support us at the Senate hearing on [March 4].”

The legislation, had it passed, would have banned the production, sale and transport of foie gras, a liver delicacy that activists say is produced by force-feeding geese and ducks.

The sale of foie gras is already prohibited in Chicago. The state of California outlawed the sale of foie gras in 2004, but the ban does not take effect until 2012.