Source: QMI Agency
An animal-rights group's campaign to rid the shelves of U.K. grocery store Harvey Nichols of reindeer pate has backfired -- the store has now sold out of the canned delicacy.
Viva -- Vegetarians International Voice for Animals -- drew attention to the Edible brand reindeer pate being sold at the grocer with a campaign calling for Britons to "politely complain" to Harvey Nichols to get the reindeer pate off the shelves.
The pate, which is branded as a "farm-raised relative of Rudolph" and an indulgent winter treat, is made from Swedish Arctic reindeer meat, cognac and spices, according to the listing for the product on Edible's website.
"No matter how the reindeer that Harvey Nichols are selling are raised, it does not detract from the fact that they are selling a 'novelty' meat from a wild animal in British stores," Viva says. "This in itself goes toward popularizing the consumption of meat from wild animals, and that in-turn can put potentially disastrous pressure on populations already suffering from the threats of climate change, urban encroachment, pollution and poaching."
The media attention Viva's campaign has been getting in the U.K. seems to have rid store shelves of the reindeer pate, but not because Harvey Nichols removed it.
"Our online stockhas sold out due to the publicity and demand we've received," a store spokeswoman told MSNBC Sunday. "It's a seasonal product and stocks are limited so we will not be restocking prior to Christmas."
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