European Commission announce that the cruel trade in cat and dog fur is to be banned

Monday, November 20, 2006

After many years of campaigning for a European ban on the import and trade in cat and dog fur, the Humane Society International and Respect for Animals are delighted with today’s announcement by the Commission. The fur is mainly produced in China and has been found for sale in many countries throughout the EU; recent investigations show the furs may also be produced within the EU.

EU Commissioner Markos Kyprianou today (Monday 20 November) announced that the European Commission is putting forward draft legislation to ban the marketing and import of cat and dog fur. 

It is estimated that some 2 million cats and dogs are killed every year for their fur. Evidence shows that many of these animals may be skinned alive. 

Mark Glover, Director of Respect for Animals, said today: ‘People are disgusted when they find out that cats and dogs are being killed for their fur. The film obtained by the Humane Society showing dogs skinned alive and cats strangled in front of each other is gut-wrenching.

‘The trade is barbaric and a ban is long overdue so we very much welcome today’s announcement and will be working to ensure that the draft ban becomes law as soon as possible. Any delay means more innocent animals dying. 

‘Investigations have shown that the trade in these skins exists in the EU, and consumers may be buying clothing made with dog and cat skins without even realising it. The cat and dog fur producers have often deceived consumers and importing authorities by the deliberate mislabelling of the fur. 

‘We look forward to the import ban being implemented at the earliest opportunity and thank Mr Kyprianou for responding to the overwhelming wishes of the public who want to see an end to the trade.’
ENDS

For more information and footage please contact:
Shely Bryan, Respect for Animals: m: +44 (0) 7710 148957 e: mail@shelybryan.net
Mark Glover, Respect for Animals: m:+44 (0) 7850 768337 or +44 (0)115 952 5440

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The campaign to ban the trade in cat and dog fur items in the EU started in 1998 when the HSI first revealed Europe’s role in the inhumane treatment and cruel deaths of dogs and cats in China during its 1998 investigation “Betrayal of Trust,” which led to the United States banning dog and cat fur two years later. As part of the original inquiry, investigators followed pelts across the world to France and Germany, where the fur was being made into coats, clothing trim, glove linings, and children’s toys. The fur was also found in Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands.

More recent evidence uncovered, and presented to the European Parliament in December 2005, by a HSI investigation indicated that dog and cat fur may also be coming from a source much closer to home—the Czech Republic.

The undercover video showed a factory worker in a Czech warehouse telling investigators that most of the cat and dog skins hanging from nearby rails were obtained domestically. A few, he said on tape, were imported from China, where HSI estimates that at least 5,400 cats and dogs die horribly every day for fur. The worker even shows investigators one of the products made with cat fur: a so-called back belt, also known as a “kidney belt”, which is promoted and sold as a treatment for backaches and rheumatism, despite no medical evidence to back such claims.

Many EU members have already adopted cat and dog fur prohibitions, including Belgium, Italy, France, Greece, and Denmark; bans are also in place in Switzerland, United States and Australia.

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