Portland city councilors on Thursday narrowly approved a ban on the sale of foie gras, the French delicacy made with the livers of force-fed waterfowl such as ducks or geese.
The 7-5 vote capped a spate of public meetings held by city lawmakers since January on the measure that often pitted animal rights activists against the Portland restaurant industry and morphed into a largely symbolic flashpoint over competing visions for the city and its priorities.
Applause broke out from the audience gathered at Portland City Hall Thursday, with many people wearing bright green shirts reading “Pro-Animal Oregon,” the activist group that lobbied for the rule.
During hours of earlier testimony and debate, proponents and their supporters on the council cast the production of foie gras as inhumane and environmentally unsustainable practices that run contrary to Portland values. Activists estimate that fewer than a dozen restaurants or speciality markets in the city currently serve or sell the product.
Meanwhile, critics decried the effort for consuming government time and attention amid more pressing challenges, calling it a triviality that would likely draw legal challenges. They also described the ban as a slap in the face for the local restaurant industry, one of the few bright spots propping up a struggling city.
As predicted, Councilor Steve Novick cast the deciding vote in favor of the bill, while acknowledging some of the criticisms lobbed at the time spent on its passage.
“When we have a vote in this body, we don’t get to vote ‘high priority’ or ‘low priority,’” Novick said. “We vote ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”
Under the adopted policy, restaurants and other retailers will be prohibited from selling the luxury food item beginning at the start of 2027. Relying on a complaint-based system, the city can impose fines of up to $5,000 for violations, though it remains unclear how precisely it will enforce the new rule.
Before the ordinance passed, co-sponsor Mitch Green said the city would “have a conversation” with Multnomah County about who would enforce the ban.
If the city were to take the lead, there would likely be some ramp up costs in year one as someone from the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability develops administrative rules and an education campaign for the affected restaurants, according to agency director Eric Engstrom.
“It’s not hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Engstrom said. “But it’s not hundreds of dollars either.”
California, New York City, Pittsburgh and Brookline, Massachusetts have all enacted similar legislation, according to materials filed with the city. Lawsuits have typically followed, some taking years to defend, though in most cases the bans have eventually been allowed to progress.
“I have a lot of faith and confidence in the innovative capacity of our local restaurant scene, which has demonstrated over the decades (an ability) to respond to conditions,” Green said. “I don’t think this tarnishes our economic development capabilities at all.”
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