Al-Fayed won't relent over foie gras at Harrods

Mohamed al-Fayed has refused to buckle to pressure from activists to stop selling foie gras in Harrods.

The retail tycoon's determination to keep stocking the liver pate follows a decision by Harvey Nichols to drop foie gras from its shelves in the face of protests from animal rights campaigners.

"We have no plans to stop selling foie gras," said a spokesman. "Harrods doesn't dictate to customers what legal purchases they can make. We leave that up to their individual philosophy." He pointed out that the store still sold fur coats, despite enduring many years of lobbying.

Flush from persuading Harvey Nicks to capitulate, groups including Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (Viva) are planning a series of "peaceful protests" at Selfridges, Fortnum and Mason and other stores selling foie gras - the pate typically imported from France that is produced by force-feeding geese and ducks with grain to enlarge their liver.

"It is illegal to produce foie gras in this country, so we think it is reasonable to ban its sale," said Justin Kershaw at Viva. "Not only is the process of making it cruel, all ducks used have to be male, so millions of female ducklings are killed by throwing them alive into an electric mincer."

He claims that 138 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion calling for a ban, with health minister Ben Bradshaw openly calling for a consumer boycott. Activists are also pushing for a Continent-wide ban on the sale of foie gras.

Viva has also set its sights on protecting pigs, cows, calves, kangaroos, horses, turkeys, chicken and turtles. Tesco is under pressure to stop selling live turtles in its stores in China, where the animals are decapitated by staff in the stores as customers look on, according to Mr Kershaw.

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