Values Clash Over Hidden Fur Trade
- November 21st, 2006
- Posted by 7thmin
Europe has moved to ban the sensitive trade in cat and dog fur, to resounding applause from among its citizens.
The European Commission has announced the clamp-down on products mostly from China, using fur either not identified or labeled as imitation animal fur.
The move follows public campaigns directed expressly at the breeding of animals for fur, and cruel treatment of animals, with several initiatives at the European Parliament, and legislation against the trade introduced by fifteen national governments – Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The prohibition will now be co-ordinated under a European Union Regulation, determined by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers, consistent with the EU’s ratification of international accords on animal welfare, including the Council of Europe’s Convention for the protection of animals kept for farming purposes.
The European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou, said this week in Brussels (20.11.06) the European public had expressed vehement opposition to the trade, which involved “hiding” the true nature of the product – because few would knowingly buy it.
Cat and dog fur had been found in clothing, personal accessories, children’s toys and pets’ toys; investigators had not found any manufacture of such products within Europe itself, and because the trade was semi-clandestine they could not yet put a figure on its monetary value.
Reference:
Questions and Answers on the proposal to ban cat and dog fur in the EU, MEMO/06/436; European Commisison, Brussels; 20.11.06
Additional information from the EC on Animal Health and Animal Welfare: http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/index_en.htm (20.11.06)
Information from the Humane Society International and allied organisations:
Details on trade in cat and dog fur including video, (images may cause shock and distress): http://www.hsus.org/furfree/dogs_cats/ (20.11.06)
http://www.respectforanimals.co.uk/home.php/facts/more/teh_trade_in_dog_and_cat_fur/ (20.11.06)
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/betrayal_of_trust_the_global_trade_in_dog_and_cat_fur/ (20.11.06)
Picture: EUAustralia mascot Lily