We are extremely happy to be able to announce that on the June 19th 2007 the European Parliament voted unanimously to ban the import and export of Cat and Dog fur from China into the European Union by December 31st, 2008.  800 MEP’S were present and voted to stop this barbaric trade. This is a huge victory fought for all cats and dogs.

The European Parliament adopted a report on a proposed EU-wide ban on trading in cat and dog fur. The first-reading scraps an exemption allowing trade in fur from cats and dogs if they were "not bred or killed for fur production". MEPs fear this would leave a "gaping loophole" in the legislation, which traders would quickly exploit.

In December 2003, Parliament adopted a declaration calling on the European Commission to draft a regulation banning the import, export, sale and production of cat and dog fur and skins. Three years later – after a public outcry over evidence that cat and dog fur products were still entering the EU, despite a voluntary code of conduct adopted by European fur traders – Parliament got its wish.
 
“The placing on the market and the import to or export from the Community of fur of cats and dogs and products containing such fur shall be prohibited”, stipulates Article 1 of the draft regulation proposed by the Commission.  The committee backed this element of the legislation by a large majority.
 
However, they did not back a derogation proposed by the Commission to the ban, which would open up the possibility for cat and dog fur to be placed on the EU market provided that the fur (or products containing it) were (a) “labelled as originating from cats or dogs that have not been bred or killed for fur production”, or (b) constituted “personal or household effects” introduced into, or exported from, the Community.

Rapporteur Eva-Britt SVENSSON (GUE/NGL, SE) was adamant about doing away with the derogation, saying that it “would provide a gaping loophole, which would be ruthlessly exploited by traders of all future consignments of cat and dog fur, thus rendering the entire regulation useless”.  Fellow MEPs agreed, voting to delete the relevant article, and committee chair Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK) echoed their views, saying “We want a ban, not a restriction”.
 
In the course of negotiations with the Council, MEPs did agree, however, that, "by way of exceptional derogation", the Commission may adopt provisions allowing cat and dog fur on the EU market "for educational or taxidermy purposes."
 
By entering into negotiations with the Council Presidency ahead of the plenary vote, MEPs have secured a first-reading agreement on the ban. This means, effectively, that the Council is expected to back the Parliament's report (i.e. its amendments) and to adopt the legislation without any further changes. The ban will apply from 31 December 2008.
 
Struan STEVENSON (EPP-ED), draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. – expressed his very warm thanks to Mrs Svensson for a brilliant piece of work and a brilliant report. He also wished to thank Mrs McCarthy for her dedication and commitment to steering this very important report through Parliament. However, most of all, he expressed his gratitude for the great courage of Commissioner Kyprianou, because, as Mrs Lucas has just said, the previous Commissioner told us that it was impossible and there would never be a legal basis. I remember Commissioner Kyprianou saying to me, ‘As a lawyer, if I went round telling clients that things were impossible, I would never make a living!’. He has fulfilled his pledge.
 
Arlene McCARTHY (PES), chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), reminded the House that the late Philip Whitehead, former chairman of the IMCO Committee, asked the Commission to take action and on 30 December last year "I received on behalf of concerned citizens a petition signed by over a quarter of a million people calling for us to bring in that ban. We have acted but I believe that it is citizens' determination and animal welfare campaigners who should take the credit for this new law and for helping us to persuade the Commission to give us the legal power to ban it. There is plenty of evidence of the inhuman treatment of cats and dogs bred for fur. Animal welfare organisations have been contacting my office and welcoming the law. Their only criticism is that it has taken us too long. But this law is also about protecting consumers who have unwittingly been deceived into buying clothes, toys, household products, made from cat and dog fur. I would say that people power can win the day over bureaucracy and over legal barriers.

MEPs Struan Stevenson (right), Eva Britt Svennson (left)
and Arlene McCarthy (centre)
celebrating the European Parliament’s decision
to introduce a ban on the trade in cat and dog fur

I want to stress to the Commission and to the Member States that the committee's negotiating team wanted the EU to adopt the highest international standards and best practices in ensuring we ban this obscene trade and that cat and dog products do not end up in the shops by the back door."
 
Concluding Ms McCarthy insisted on a report back on how the ban is being implemented and action if it is not working. "We expect Member States to take their responsibilities seriously in both implementing and enforcing the ban. There must be tough and dissuasive penalties to deter the cat and dog fur traders. In short, a ban must mean a ban in principle and in practice. Not a restriction enabling continuation of the trade by the back door."
 
Elizabeth LYNNE (ALDE) welcomed the fact that several EU countries – France, Italy, Denmark, Greece and Belgium – moved unilaterally to ban the trade. However, she said, there are differences in the approaches of other Member States, ranging from bans on rearing and slaughter to labelling requirements. These differences can cause problems for consumers, retailers and traders alike. That is why, as we all know, an EU-wide ban is so important if we want an end to this vile trade.
 
"We have already heard that 2 million dogs and cats are slaughtered each year for their fur and that it takes at least 10 dogs and up to 24 cats to make a single coat. These animals live in horrific conditions and many are skinned alive. Since the US brought in a ban, more cat and dog fur is coming into the EU. The problem is that many customers do not know what they are buying, as cat and dog fur is quite often labelled as fake fur. It is also included in a variety of products other than clothing, such as some homeopathic medicines, children's toys and accessories."
 
OIPA did a Letter-Petition to Commissioner Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, to ask to ban this fur immediately. Not only is the cruelty intolerable but these products with fradulent labels harm us as consumers. We were also worried about the toxicity levels of some of the childrens toys made with this fur.
It is estimated that more than 2 million animals are brutally slaughtered each year in China alone to supply the main markets in Europe and Russia. The furs and skins are made into coats, fur trim for gloves, boot-linings, cat and dog figurines and used in countless other ways. There is clearly a fraudulent and illegal aspect to this trade as consumers are duped into buying what they believe to be faux fur or fur from wild animals, as merchants make up mythical names on labels, or dye the fur to make it look like faux-fur.
OIPA did also a written petition to the European Parliament urging to ban the import and export of Cat and Dog fur from China into the European Union.
OIPA is delighted that the European Parliament has finally adopted a Regulation to ban the import into the EU of cat and dog fur. The move ends many years of campaigning by OIPA and OIPA members league to end a trade which causes terrible animal suffering. It's been a long journey to victory.