Countdown star Rachel Riley, 33, and Susie Dent, 54, who are both vegan, are urging the UK government to implement a ban on importing foie gras. They are also striving for people to be told about the force-feeding process behind the product. Foie Gras is the french term used to describe the liver of a duck or a goose, who is force-fed. According to PETA, the process causes birds’ livers to swell to up to 10 times their normal size.
Countdown duo Rachel and Susie have joined the #FoieGrasFreeGB, launched by animal protection agency Animal Equality.
According to Plant Based news, Rachel said: “I’m a massive animal lover, so I think it’s brilliant that it’s illegal to produce foie gras in the UK.
“I think it’s not so brilliant that you can still import it – so I support Animal Equality’s petition to have a foie gras-free GB.”
Susie added: “If you eat foie gras, I would really urge you to look at the practice that goes in to producing it.
“It is totally barbaric and involves force-feeding on the most horrific scale imaginable.”
According to the organization Animal Equality, 79 percent of people in the UK support a foie gras import ban.
Another poll – conducted by YouGov – also states 90 per cent of people have not eaten foie gras in the past year.
They added 29 per cent of respondents were still unaware of how foie gras is produced.
A further 37 per cent said they would reduce or end their foie gras consumption after discovering the process.
Foie gras production is currently banned in several countries, including Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.
Rachel’s involvement in the campaign comes just days after she secretly tied the knot with her long-term partner Pasha Kovalev, 39.
Rachel and Pasha got married in secret at a ceremony in Las Vegas wedding last week.
The maths whizz shared a picture of the pair to her social media pages after exchanging their vows.
Rachel was seen wearing a plunging white dress adorned in red patterns, while Pasha opted for a smart blazer and trousers.
The blonde beauty smiled proudly for the camera while placing her hand on her new husband’s neck.
She captioned the post: “Introducing the new Mr and Mrs Kovalev. We both said yes.”
The couple’s big news follows Rachel’s announcement the pair are expecting their first child together.
It is believed their baby is due in December.
Countdown airs weekdays from 2.10pm on Channel 4.