The Latest: New York City passes bill banning foie gras

NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on the New York City Council vote to ban sales of foie gras (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

The New York City Council has voted to ban the sale of foie gras - the fattened liver of a duck - served in fine restaurants and gourmet groceries across the city.

Council members passed the bill on Wednesday. They say producing the traditional French delicacy involves animal cruelty by force-feeding a bird through a tube pushed down its throat. Selling foie gras in New York will be illegal starting in 2022.

A ban could mean trouble for two farms outside the city that are premier U.S. producers of foie gras, with New York as their prime market - Hudson Valley Foie Gras and nearby La Belle Farm. Together, they raise about 350,000 birds for foie gras a year. The owners say they may have to close, with hundreds of mostly immigrant workers losing their jobs.

In the end, the measure imposes a fine of up to $2,000, instead of the previously considered $1,000. A penalty of up to one year behind bars has been eliminated.

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1:15 a.m.

The sale of foie gras (fwah-GRAH') in New York City is about to become a faux pas (foh-PAH').

City council members on Wednesday are expected to pass a bill that bans the sale of fattened liver of a duck at restaurants, grocery stores or shops.

A majority of council members have signed on to the bill, which also has the support of animal welfare advocates and other critics who say producing it involved force-feeding a bird by sticking a tube down its throat.

But vendors say it could mean trouble for farms outside the city that are premier U.S. producers of the French delicacy.

The bill would impose a $1,000 fine and up to one year behind bars on any restaurateur or grocery store owner who sells foie gras.