LONDON, May 31, 2007 (AFP) - Former James Bond star Roger Moore on Thursday joined calls for a ban on the sale of foie gras in Britain.

The actor, who starred in films including "Live And Let Die" and "A View To A Kill", has written to lawmakers urging them to support calls for the move by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

"I wholeheartedly support this campaign and with your help, I believe that we will soon see an end to this brutal and inherently cruel 'delicacy,'" he wrote.

The letter and an accompanying DVD, which highlight the "cruel" process used to produce foie gras, also call on legislators to sign a parliamentary motion supporting a ban which has so far been backed by 83 of them.

The motion notes that, to produce the delicacy, "12 week old ducks and geese are restrained and grain is forced down the throat through a gavage pipe, a process that often results in physical injury."

It adds that the process swells the birds' livers to up to 10 times their normal size causing "great pain" and calls on the government to ban the sale of foie gras in Britain.

Earlier this month, nearly 9,000 members of the public signed a petition calling for a ban submitted by a local councillor from York, north England, to the website of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Downing Street office.

York is set to vote on whether to ban foie gras from its restaurants in the coming months.

In the United States, California and Chicago have already banned the sale of foie gras, while production is prohibited in countries including Germany and Italy.

Copyright AFP

Subject: French news