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Cats 'farmed for skins in EU'
Cats 'farmed for skins in EU'
BBC News has seen evidence which suggests that cats are being farmed for their skins in the European Union.
Cats and dogs are not farmed for their fur in the European Union
EU website
It is thought that tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of cat and dog skins are traded in Europe each year.
Campaigners say that now is the time for national governments or the European Commission to act.
Europe, it seems, is a magnet for cat and dog fur.
Cat blankets, so the aficionados say, are good for rheumatism and dog pelts are, according to campaigners, often labelled misleadingly and sold as the fur of some exotic, even mythical beast.
Cat and dog fur trade
Campaigners claim 2 million cats and dogs slaughtered every year
Main exporter: China
12 to 15 adult dogs needed to make a dog fur coat
Up to 24 cats needed for cat fur coat
Cat and dog fur also used in hats, gloves, shoes, blankets, stuffed animals and toys
Dog fur sometimes labelled as: Gae-wolf, sobaki, Asian jackal, goupee, loup d'Asie, Corsac fox, dogues du Chine, or simply fake or exotic fur
Cat fur sometimes labelled as: house cat, wild cat, katzenfelle, rabbit, goyangi, mountain cat
Since the US has banned the trade of cat and dog skins, the European market has expanded.
A video seen by BBC News shows one Belgian furrier displaying a blanket he says was made from cats farmed in Belgium.
What's more, he says that stray cats and dogs are rounded up and skinned.
That would seem to contradict the assertion from the officials who help run the EU at the European Commission that there is no cat or dog farming inside the union.
The Commission says that a ban on the trade is not really in their power - it would be better left to national governments.
So far, though, only Italy has brought in such a ban.
Campaigners say there is a lot of evidence that cat and dog fur products are being imported from inhumane fur farms in the Far East.
Earlier this year, DNA tests on winter jackets with fur trim on sale in Italy proved that they were made with dog fur.
Italian shops stocking the jackets said suppliers had told them the coats were made with the fur of raccoons or raccoon dogs - a wild canid originally from eastern Siberia, China and Japan.
Members of the European Parliament campaigning for the trade in such goods to be banned have accused the European Commission of lacking the political will to take up the fight.
They say the trade is not only morally repugnant, but also a case of consumer fraud.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2003/05/08 09:50:14
BBC News has seen evidence which suggests that cats are being farmed for their skins in the European Union.
Cats and dogs are not farmed for their fur in the European Union
EU website
It is thought that tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of cat and dog skins are traded in Europe each year.
Campaigners say that now is the time for national governments or the European Commission to act.
Europe, it seems, is a magnet for cat and dog fur.
Cat blankets, so the aficionados say, are good for rheumatism and dog pelts are, according to campaigners, often labelled misleadingly and sold as the fur of some exotic, even mythical beast.
Cat and dog fur trade
Campaigners claim 2 million cats and dogs slaughtered every year
Main exporter: China
12 to 15 adult dogs needed to make a dog fur coat
Up to 24 cats needed for cat fur coat
Cat and dog fur also used in hats, gloves, shoes, blankets, stuffed animals and toys
Dog fur sometimes labelled as: Gae-wolf, sobaki, Asian jackal, goupee, loup d'Asie, Corsac fox, dogues du Chine, or simply fake or exotic fur
Cat fur sometimes labelled as: house cat, wild cat, katzenfelle, rabbit, goyangi, mountain cat
Since the US has banned the trade of cat and dog skins, the European market has expanded.
A video seen by BBC News shows one Belgian furrier displaying a blanket he says was made from cats farmed in Belgium.
What's more, he says that stray cats and dogs are rounded up and skinned.
That would seem to contradict the assertion from the officials who help run the EU at the European Commission that there is no cat or dog farming inside the union.
The Commission says that a ban on the trade is not really in their power - it would be better left to national governments.
So far, though, only Italy has brought in such a ban.
Campaigners say there is a lot of evidence that cat and dog fur products are being imported from inhumane fur farms in the Far East.
Earlier this year, DNA tests on winter jackets with fur trim on sale in Italy proved that they were made with dog fur.
Italian shops stocking the jackets said suppliers had told them the coats were made with the fur of raccoons or raccoon dogs - a wild canid originally from eastern Siberia, China and Japan.
Members of the European Parliament campaigning for the trade in such goods to be banned have accused the European Commission of lacking the political will to take up the fight.
They say the trade is not only morally repugnant, but also a case of consumer fraud.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2003/05/08 09:50:14
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