Cat and dog fur trade banned by EU

[Erasmus]

Cat and dog fur trade banned by EU

David Charter, Europe Correspondent
Would you knowingly wear dog or cat fur?


Trading in dog and cat fur is to be banned in Europe after mounting evidence that unscrupulous manufacturers are using cheap pelts from China to line coats and gloves and to make children’s toys.

Importers will have to prove that fur trimming is not canine or feline under a European Commission directive proposed yesterday after a public campaign led by celebrities including Lady McCartney, the former model Heather Mills.

US investigators estimate that about two million dogs and cats are slaughtered each year for their pelts, which are often disguised by dying and can even be labelled as artificial fur. A BBC documentary featuring Lady McCartney found that fur trimmings on sale at market stalls along Oxford Street in London were made from dog and cat pelts.

The ban is likely to become law next year after concern at the discovery of clothing, toys and rugs labelled “Gae wolf”, “Asian jackal” or “Corsac fox” that turned out to be dog and cat fur. Pelts are often passed off as fake fur because they are cheaper than the synthetic material.

Britain is not among the five European countries that have a ban on dog and cat fur imports, but the Government said that it had been pushing for an EU-wide measure.

The Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson visited a Scottish gift shop and bought a figurine of a cat. When the item was DNA-tested it was found to be made from dog fur. This proved that British consumers could unwittingly be buying items made from the pelts.
Clothing has also been found on sale in EU countries, including Italy, France, Belgium, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany. Rick Swain, a researcher for the US-based Humane Society International, which found and tested the dog and cat fur clothes, said: “Cat fur is often used for a lining in gloves because it is softer and shorter. Once it is dyed it is very difficult to tell from just about anything you want to make it look like. Dog is coarser fur and harder to disguise.”

The proposed directive would look to end the production, marketing and trade of cat and dog fur throughout the EU and establish a system of information exchange on its detection at Europe’s borders.

Markos Kyprianou, the EU Consumer Protection Commissioner, said: “The message that we have received from EU consumers has been loud and clear. They do not find it acceptable to farm cats and dogs for their fur, nor do they want products containing such fur sold on the European market.”

The issue received extra publicity from Lady McCartney, who twice visited the European Parliament to campaign for a ban.
On one occasion she broke down in tears at the screening of a video showing cats and dogs being rounded up and skinned alive to avoid the cost of humane killing.

Mr Kyprianou stopped short of calling for every product containing fur to have a label detailing its exact origin because he said it would be too punitive for producers of smaller, cheaper goods.

The International Fur Trader Federation said that it did not see the need for a ban, given its own voluntary code that prohibited dealing in dog and cat fur. A spokeswoman said: “For many years the European fur trade has not traded in cat and dog fur and in 2002 our members signed a voluntary agreement not to trade in dog and cat fur. No evidence of this trade has been shown to us and no one appears able to produce any when asked. We do question why it’s necessary to spend time and resources drafting legislation to ban a trade that does not exist.”

Cruel business

2 million dogs and cats are killed for fur in China annually
Up to 24 pelts are used in the average fur coat
10,000 letters supporting a ban were sent to the EU
232,146 people urging a ban left their signatures on Lady McCartney’s animal rights group’s website
5 out of 93 fur items on sale are found to have canine DNA


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...462872,00.html

[Señor Malo]

My gosh...and I used to believe that Kruela was just a Walt Disney's fancy

Could you sincerelly slaught something like this for its fur????

[Erasmus]

Well, chineses, you know them... Read the following article:

The sickest trade of all: illegal fur-trading

Last updated at 12:36pm on 1st December 2006

Below, experts repair the skin of a giant panda that had been recovered from poachers who were indulging in one of the world's sickest trades - illegal fur-trading. The fur on the table measures 6ft long by 5ft wide and is worth about £50,000.
The furs were retrieved in 2004 and kept in the Chongqing Police Museum but were badly damaged. It has taken the team more than a fortnight to repair them so they can be displayed.
The endangered giant pandas, which are found only in the central Chinese mountains, live in dense bamboo and coniferous forests at altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 feet.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

You can add a comment below the new.

[Susano]

I fail to see the problem. Why is fur of well... any other animal okay, but not cats or dogs? Theres no difference. The "cuteness fatcor" hardly is a rational argument.

Wether to buy cat or dog fur should really be the consumer's decision, and not be subjected to bans. The state should merely enforce that all furs a correctly labeled.

[Milesian]

I wouldn't wear dog fur for the simple reason that they are horrible smelly animals

[Susano]

Truth be told, I wouldnt wear Cat or Dog furs, either, it would simply feel weird. But that would then be my personal choice, as it should be - and not the state, or even worse, the EU bureucracy making this choice for its citizens! Were not little children, we can decide for our own!

[Señor Malo]

Originally Posted by Susano

Truth be told, I wouldnt wear Cat or Dog furs, either, it would simply feel weird. But that would then be my personal choice, as it should be - and not the state, or even worse, the EU bureucracy making this choice for its citizens! Were not little children, we can decide for our own!

Indeed your arguments are good (I mean why is wrong using cat and dog fur and not that of other animals) but the problem is that in Europe there are currently running rumours that pet animals are being stolen for their furs...anyhow I disaprouve any kind of fur

[Susi]

Hum, I don't think the furs of cats and dogs is very good "quality" wise.

I don't wear any fur right now, but if I was to go hunting or trapping (or my boyfriend went) I would probably make something out of the fur of the animal I had caught.

[Strengthandhonour]

Personally, I woudln't wear the fur of any animal. I don't think any animal should be killed just for their fur. I find the thought sickening actually.

[Susi]

That's why I had my reason.

I would eat the animal too ._.

And we wear leather and wool all the time too... and we eat those animals.

I don't like the "fur farms" though... they're cruel.

[Señor Malo]

Originally Posted by Susi

I don't like the "fur farms" though... they're cruel.

Specially when it is known that animals aren't dead when they begin skining them but stunned!

[Susi]

That's so gross. Why don't they kill them properly, at least? Oh wait, that's too expensive.