EU Governments Support Ban on Sale, Production of Cat and Dog Fur
January 30, 2007 - canadianbusiness.com
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European Union governments on Monday unanimously supported a proposal to ban the sale, import and production of dog and cat fur in the 27-nation bloc, responding to public calls to outlaw a practice many consider unethical.
The European Commission, the EU's executive body, has said cat and dog fur can be found in some clothing, personal accessories and soft toys for children being sold in Europe, either falsely labeled as another kind of fur or hidden within the product.
"We responded to hundreds of thousands of European citizens who demanded action in this area," EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said. "This product is being used without the consumers being informed. It goes against the wishes and morals of the European citizens. For them, cats and dogs are pets."
Kyprianou said he hoped the ban could be adopted by the end of June after the European Parliament also gives its consent to the measure. Fifteen EU nations already have bans in place, but an EU-wide ban is expected to bring clear guidelines for all member nations.
The Commission said that because of the trade's secretive nature, it was hard to estimate how much dog and cat fur finds its way onto the market or pinpoint the source.
A December 2005 investigation by Australian animal rights group Humane Society International showed dog and cat fur was produced within the Czech Republic and other Eastern European states. HSI estimates about 2 million cats and dogs are killed for fur each year, mostly in China.
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Calling fur by its name
New state law will tighten federal loophole that allows some fur-trimmed garments to go unlabeled
Friday, August 24, 2007 By Leslie Palma-Simoncek
Staten Island Advance -- Clothing and accessories that include "real fur" will have to say so in no uncertain terms under a new consumer and animal protection law signed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer last week. The new law will go into effect Nov. 13.
The Humane Society of the United States says the law will protect anti-fur New Yorkers from a loophole in federal law that allowed retailers to avoid labeling the item as fur if the real fur on a garment was valued at $150 or less. The society discovered last winter that jackets being sold under many brand names and labeled as faux fur actually contained the fur of raccoon dogs, which are commonly skinned alive in China.
"Unfortunately, we can't outlaw the inhumane treatment of raccoon dogs and other animals in China," said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the legislation in the Assembly. "But this law will at least keep unlabeled jackets and jackets falsely advertised as faux from duping New Yorkers into supporting this cruelty."
Sen. Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said the law "will allow consumers throughout New York to make more informed decisions when it comes to making purchases that contain fur and faux fur." The law also calls for faux fur garments to be clearly labeled as such.
A bill pending in Congress, the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act, would ban the sale of raccoon dog fur and would require all garments trimmed with fur to be labeled. The bill has garnered the support of 100 co-sponsors and has been endorsed by retailers and designers including Tommy Hilfiger, Burlington Coat Factory and Loehmann's.
Meanwhile, the Humane Society has just launched its first fur-free retailer list for back-to-school and other shoppers. The list includes Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, J. Crew, Club Monaco, Foot Locker, Guess?, Victoria's Secret and Urban Outfitters. Visit their website to read more.
Facts:
There is precedent for banning the electrocution of fur-bearing animals: the electrocution of foxes was banned in the United Kingdom and was replaced by barbiturate injection. USDA reports indicate New York had seven mink farms in 2001. The number is believed to have since declined. There is no current data available for fox farms, although there are believed to be very few. USDA reports that in 2006, 16 mink farms in the United States also raised foxes, down from 19 in 2005. USDA reports put 2006 U.S. mink pelt production at 2.86 million, with Wisconsin the largest producer, followed by Utah. More than 50 million animals, including mink, foxes, raccoon dogs, chinchillas, rabbits and domestic dogs and cats are killed annually at fur farms worldwide. In China, live skinning of animals for the fur trade-much of which is sold in the U.S., is well documented.
Comment:
While the USA has not only banned the import and sale of dog and cat fur it has
now passed a new New York state law (on top of their pending/possible federal
law) which will tighten their federal loophole that allows fur-trimmed garments
below the value of $150 to go unlabelled. Meanwhile, our Canadian government has
done nothing.
Canada invites dog and cat fur into the country, as it is perfectly legal to
import and sell it. The Textile Labelling Act contains no requirement that
real fur products be labelled at all. Fur, fur-trimmed items, knick-knacks and
accessories made with cat, fox, dog, rabbit, or other fur, can be sold at gift
shops, department stores and corner stores etc. in Canada without any label
stating that it is real fur, let alone the type of fur or its origin.
October 2009 Keep pressuring the government to enact legislation banning the importation of dog and cat fur into Canada. All animals, regardless of species, need to be protected from the horrendous suffering and cruelty inflicted upon them by the demented 'human' race. China's regulations are virtually non-existent, despite any and all claims by the government and industry to the contrary. Numerous undercover investigations have exposed extreme suffering; screaming animals fully conscious while being skinned alive.
On January 1, 2009, the European Union, one of the world's largest consumers of fur, enacted a ban on cat and dog fur. The ban, the result of a unanimous vote unanimous vote by the European Parliament in 2007, makes it illegal to import, export, trade and sell dog and cat fur in all 27 EU countries. The U.S. and Australia enacted cat and dog fur bans in 2000 and 2004, respectively.
In May of this year, members of the Knesset, Nitzan Horowitz and Ronit Tirosh introduced historic bills in Israel against the fur industry. The International Anti-Fur Coalition, as well as other groups and caring individuals worldwide, hope that the fur industry in Israel, in its entirety, including all importation, production and sales will be prohibited via this precedent setting bill to be voted on in September.
Update: The law banning fur imports to Israel has been frozen. The Education Committee hearing that was to be held 2010/09/02, to authorize a second and third reading to vote in the law at the Knesset, was postponed because of the intervention of MK Eliezer Moses (UTJ) and Minister of Religious Affairs Yaakov Margi (Shas). Animal welfare organizations estimate that the chances the bill will pass in the future are slim.
The law initiated by MK Ronit Tirosh was supposed to ban all types of fur imports to Israel, and ban the sale, export and production of fur products in Israel. Because of religious opposition Knesset members, who argued that the law will prevent them from continuing to use their Shtreimel fur hats, the law added changes that would allow fur imports for ‘religious’ needs.
Tirosh hoped the debate tomorrow would have paved the way for the approval of law, especially after last week’s announcement that the Industry and Trade Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer had removed his opposition. [Source: Int’l Anti-Fur Coalition]
Our deplorable cruelty and use of animals is justified in the name of religion, culture, tradition, economics, survival, science, education, and more. When is enough, enough? Our reign over the non-human species is beyond contempt; we’ve left nothing but a legacy of indifference, cruelty, and conquest for future generations. We won’t survive - and for the sake of this planet and all non-human inhabitants that day can’t come soon enough.
Fur farming is banned in Austria, Croatia (starting January 1, 2007, with a 10 year phase out period), Scotland, Wales and the United Kingdom. In Switzerland, the regulations for fur farming are very strict, with recent result that there are no more fur farms. Some other countries have a ban on fur farming of certain types of animals. In Switzerland, the regulations for fur farming are very strict, with the result that there are no fur farms. (wikipedia)
August 2010 On September 17, 2009, Anita Neville, M.P. for Manitoba's Winnipeg South Centre, introduced a private member's bill, Bill C-439, an Act to amend the Hazardous Products Act and ban products made with dog or cat fur from crossing the border. In addition to many other actions, such as asking Fleuvog Shoes to stop selling rabbit fur boots they claimed were made from rabbits slaughtered for the meat industry, we have asked the Canadian government to support this bill. In her closing statement, Carmina Gooch wrote: As a Canadian citizen and voter, I strongly urge you to demonstrate ethical and compassionate leadership by supporting this bill to give voice to those innocent creatures exploited by a vile and outdated industry. It’s beyond time to bring Canada into the 21st century on animal protection and welfare issues.
May 2011 We were pleased to learn of the new EU Regulation on textile names and the related labelling of textile products. The legislation stipulates that clothing manufacturers must clearly indicate the presence of animal-derived products, such as fur, leather or feathers, in textile products using the phrase "contains non-textile parts of animal origin."
US President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 2480, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act in December of 2010. When will Canada follow suit? It’s beyond time to get on with it.
Read more:
Canada's Competition Bureau
MEPs miss chance to help animals raised and killed for their fur