TWO Ludlow students say they have persuaded four shops and restaurants in the town to stop selling a food delicacy.

Oliver Squire and his friend Victoria Martin are claiming success in their campaign to end the sale of foie gras in the town.

They say that the delicacy, which involves the force feeding of ducks, represents an example of extreme cruelty and should be stopped.

Oliver, aged 20, who is a student at university in Reading, and Victoria, 22, say that they were able to collect a petition with 500 names in just a few days.

They say that already a leading hotel and three restaurants have agreed not to sell foie gras.

“There has been much widespread support from shops in Ludlow that want to see an end to the sale of foie gras,” said Oliver, who has been leafleting around the town to draw attention to the issue and says that the support has been overwhelming.

“A campaign on Facebook gathered more than 460 members in just two days.

The campaign mission has been to politely express concerns of Ludlow consumers about the sale of foie gras and the torture ducks and geese have to endure.

“Ducks and geese are force fed up to five times a day through metal tubes, making their livers 10 times the natural size.

“This makes the birds very ill, diseased and unable to move. So the campaign wants to remove all foie gras from Ludlow.”

Oliver and Victoria say that whilst they feel strongly about the issue and understand that the argument causes strong emotions, they want people to make their feelings known without any recourse to violence or illegal activities. “It is important that the campaign has been conducted peacefully,”

said Oliver.

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