Pamela Anderson petitions French parliament over foie gras

“As a Canadian, I am ashamed by the brutal clubbing of baby seals and thus I have empathy for many of the French citizens who also experience both shame and sadness at the misery suffered by these very sociable birds,” Anderson said, according to Reuters.

Foie gras, whether sold whole or in pate form, is made from fattened geese and duck livers and is considered a delicacy in both Western and Asian cuisine.

The “Baywatch” star was campaigning for a bill seeking to ban the practice, which has been deemed cruel by many animal activists.

According to PETA U.K., Anderson described the treatment of the ducks and geese, saying they are “forced to suffer excruciating pain and diarrhea, inflammations and injuries throughout their short lives until the day they are slaughtered.

“Historically, France has blazed a path on many fronts for human rights, for freedom, for conservation and the environment,” she continued. “Now is the time to champion the rights of animals to be free of suffering.”

Earlier Tuesday, Anderson tweeted out a video showing how foie gras is made in all its gory detail.

Her appearance at parliament reportedly caused a physical altercation between a photographer and a reporter as the media scrambled to catch her speech. At least 25 journalists were turned away because the room was too small to accommodate them.

But not everyone is so eager to see foie gras be taken off the market.

“We understand that some people don’t want to eat foie gras, but they should not keep foie gras lovers from eating it,” Marie-Pierre Pe, an official with the Cifog foie gras producers association, told Reuters.

According to the Reuters report, France produces almost 22,000 tons of foie gras a year and about 30,000 French families are dependent on the foie gras industry.

California passed a law banning the sale of foie gras in 2004, but it was overturned in 2015.