EU action on trade in cat and dog fur

The European commission has backed proposals to ban the import, export and sale of cat and dog fur across the EU - but other EU fur farms will remain open for business.

EU commissioner for health and consumer protection Markos Kyprianou said the EU was responding to popular calls for a ban of cat and dog furs.

“The message that we have received from EU consumers has been loud and clear,” he told journalists on Monday.

“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.”

But the EU has done nothing to heed popular calls for a ban on fox, rabbit or mink furs.

The UK NGO Advocates for Animals estimates that more than half the world’s mink are bred in Scandinavia - where there are more than 10,000 fur factory farms.

“Two thirds of all fox bred for fur come from Finland,” the NGO added in a statement.

The Netherlands also continues to be one of the largest mink producers in the world – despite the fact that a recent national poll indicated that 72 per cent of Dutch people believe that fur production should be banned.

“Each year around 3.5 million mink are gassed to death after a short and miserable life in confinement,” Advocates for Animals estimates.

The European commission says its action on cat and dog furs follows evidence that pelts are being placed on the EU market - usually undeclared or disguised as fake or another kind of fur.

In one recent case, a coat bought in Belgium was labelled “Korean wolf pelt” when it was actually made of dog fur.

“This move is a step forward but the fur trade continues,” a spokeswoman for Advocates for Animals said.

Animal rights activists will now be pushing Brussels to take similar action to outlaw all other animal pelts that adorn European catwalks.

Kyprianou said he hopes to see EU legislation on cats and dogs implemented “at the earliest opportunity.”

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