These horrific images from a maggot- and rodent-infested French duck farm have sent shockwaves through the fois gras loving country and prompted a sharp response from authorities. The images were today by animal rights activists from the organisation L214, after a tipoff from an unnamed whistleblower, and they vividly illustrate the gruesome conditions on a farm, where, in the words of L214 co-founder Sebastian Arsac, there were “as many carcasses as live ducks“. The farm is part of the foie gras supply chain that exports the controversial delicacy all over the world, including to the UK and the USA, according to L214. Mr Arsac, who provided the images, told Real Press in an interview that "in 15 years of investigations", he had "never seen anything like it." He said that the animals were in a state of "extreme suffering", adding: "The corpses of dead ducks rot on the farm, they are never picked up. The French Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie posted three tweets on Twitter last night at half past midnight, the first being a statement from his ministry, which stated that: "From 20th August in the morning, a veterinarian will be on site to examine the condition of the animals in detail and take the necessary protective measures. The minister has asked the prefecture for a formal notice to be issued against the operation, which may lead to a suspension of activity."