Washington, D.C., voters approved Initiative 86, a ballot measure that bans the sale of foie gras, WJLA and Eater DC report.

The measure bans force-feeding birds and the sale or commercial import of foie gras and similar fattened liver products, WJLA reports. It is set to take effect July 1, 2027.

About 73% of voters backed the measure, Eater DC reports. WJLA says it passed overwhelmingly.

Businesses that break the law could face fines of $1,000 to $5,000, WJLA reports. They could also lose their business licenses.

Animal welfare groups pushed for the ban for years. “Ballot initiatives are really the best form of direct democracy,” Natalie Fulton of Pro-Animal Future said earlier this year, WJLA reports.

Restaurant owners and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington opposed it, WJLA says. The group argued that menu choices should be left to businesses and customers.

Chef Bart Hutchins, who runs Butterworth's, says the vote is mostly symbolic. “Without a funding mechanism its enforcement will be left up to a city council that doesn't have the budget,” he says, Eater DC reports.

The D.C. Council must find more than $300,000 to carry out the ban, Eater DC reports, citing estimates from the city's chief financial officer. The measure allows a delay until that money is in an approved budget, and it faces review by Congress.

Court fights could also slow it down, Eater DC says. New York City's ban was delayed for years by lawsuits from duck farms.

What we know: Voters approved the ban, which is set to begin in July 2027.
What we don't: Whether the city will fund it on time, or whether lawsuits will delay it.