Portland just voted to ban the sale of force-fed foie gras. Now it is time for the rest of Oregon to follow.

On June 8, Portland's City Council voted 7-5 to ban foie gras produced through force-feeding within city limits. Restaurants and retailers will have 180 days to comply. Businesses that violate the ban face financial penalties. Portland joins New York City, California, Pittsburgh, and Brookline, Massachusetts in restricting the sale of one of the most widely condemned practices in the food industry.

Foie gras is produced by repeatedly force-feeding ducks and geese through a tube to enlarge their livers far beyond their natural size. Animal welfare organizations say the process causes significant physical distress and prevents birds from engaging in natural behaviors. Ducks and geese are intelligent, social animals capable of experiencing pain. No animal should endure that suffering for a luxury food item.

Portland made the right call. But a city-by-city approach leaves the rest of Oregon behind. California banned force-fed foie gras statewide more than a decade ago. Oregon's legislature should do the same — protecting ducks and geese across the entire state, not just within Portland's city limits.

The momentum is here. Portland proved there is public will. Now Oregon's lawmakers need to act.

Sign this petition to demand Oregon's legislature pass a statewide ban on the sale of force-fed foie gras and follow Portland's lead on animal welfare.