An animal rights group is calling on Quebecers to stop buying foie gras produced by a local farm they say mistreats ducks used to make the rich French delicacy.

The Montreal-based Global Action Network released video footage on Wednesday it recorded secretly that shows troubling images of ducks being violently slaughtered.

The video shows live ducks getting their heads ripped off, being bashed against walls, and being suffocated in garbage bags. The footage also shows the ducks being force-fed, a common practice in foie-gras production. 

What is foie gras? Foie gras is a French delicacy commonly made with duck or goose livers that have been fattened through the practice of "gavage" or force-feeding. The birds are normally force-fed 12-18 hours before slaughter, which fattens their livers and makes a richer and creamier pâté.

The animal rights network claims the images were recorded with a hidden camera at the Élevages Périgord de Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, south of Montreal near Salaberry-de-Valleyfield — but the video does not show any of the farm's signs.

Global Action Network spokesman David Rufieux says the farm is breaking the law. "You have to render animals unconscious before slaughtering them," he told CBC's French language television network, RDI.

The network wants the federal and provincial governments to step in and ban foie gras altogether — and is urging consumers to avoid Quebec-made products.

"Our video proves the foie gras industry is intrinsically cruel," said Andrew Plumbly, the network's director. "This industry has no place in a civilized society."

The majority of foie gras is made with fattened duck livers, like the one on display at a 2005 market in Peyrorade, France.
(Associated Press/Bob Edme)

Global Action Network has handed over the footage to Quebec provincial police, who say they'll investigate the allegations of animal cruelty.

The Élevages Périgord farm refused to comment, but other Quebec foie gras producers defended their craft.

Foie gras is made according to "the rules of the art, within established guidelines, and is done as humanely as possible," said goose farm owner Alain Dansereau, in an interview with RDI. 

"This campaign is being waged by enraged vegetarians," said Dansereau, who runs a farm in the Lanaudière region and uses the Élevages Périgord to slaughter his flock.

Foie gras has been targeted in the past by animal rights groups, but this is the first time a Quebec-based group has launched a campaign against the delicacy.

With files from the Canadian Press