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Dear
Friends
Christmas of 2001 was a time of celebration
for those of us involved in the fight to end
animal abuse. Our joy was not due solely to
Christmas itself, but more to a report in a
national UK newspaper that the British Government
was determined to ban the import of dog and
cat fur products into the UK from
China.
The Sunday Telegraph is a highly
respected and reliable newspaper. Its reports are
seldom inaccurate or fanciful and it is regarded
as a SERIOUS journal. There was therefore no
reason to doubt that;
'A Foreign Office official said:
"This is a Government commitment to ban the
importation and selling of dog and cat fur. The
law will have to be changed to bring about a ban,
which could be on the statute book by September,
2002" '
September 2002
came and went with no changes to the law.
Eventually, on 20th June 2003, the following
report appeared in The
Independent:
'Fur clothes to be given 'domestic
animal' label
'By Marie Woolf Chief Political
Correspondent
'20 June 2003
'Coats, gloves and hats that include the pelts
of cats and dogs are to be labelled as containing
"domestic animal" under new rules designed to
stamp out the underground trade in furs.
'Ministers have ordered the testing of fur
products to ensure that "fox" or "sable" in
British shops are not in fact the fur of lost or
stolen pets, including golden retrievers.
'Patricia Hewitt, the Trade and Industry
Secretary, said the Government would act to
protect consumers, although it would stop short of
banning the import of such fur.
'The issue was raised by Mike Hancock, Liberal
Democrat MP for Portsmouth South. He said: "Cat
and dog fur is a cheaper option than other fur and
is being used all over Europe. I am sure it's
being sold in Britain and I have spoken to traders
abroad in countries like Bulgaria and Romania
where there is a massive stray dog problem and
their fur is routinely used.
' "This fur is being passed off as Siberian fox
or rabbit fur and people have no idea it is from
dogs and cats."
'An investigation by the animal rights group
Human Society International found Belgian dealers
openly selling cat fur blankets for £220. A
blanket on sale in Copenhagen was made from the
fur of four golden retrievers and a coat made from
the skin of 42 alsatian puppies was found in
Berlin.
'In Britain, there is no known trade in
stealing pets for their fur. But MPs said they
were determined to ensure that people's pets were
safe.'
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=417158
By
allowing these sickening imports provided that
they are "clearly labelled", the British
Government is condoning and legitimising the
trade in the skins of companion
animals.
So why
the blatant U-turn? Does the Government believe
that dogs and cats are not skinned alive to
prevent the loss of fur from their skins?
No.
Does it
believe that these poor animals are 'farmed'
humanely? No.
Does
it even think that, if these creatures were
not subjected to unimaginable cruelty, the British
people would find these products acceptable?
No.
And does
it seriously believe that Chinese exporters can be
trusted to label fur items accurately? Of course
not!
Dog and
cat fur warehouse, China
We can
only conclude that the British Labour Government
is frightened that such a ban would incur the
wrath of the World Trade Organisation and possibly
the European Union (now that it has been revealed
that Belgium also indulges in this foul
trade).
When we
consider that the USA and Italy have already
instituted bans on the import of such fur
products, the UK position can only be considered
as political cowardice. If this trade is to be
banned throughout the EU, it can only be done by
other countries supporting the Italian
stance.
Today
as I write this, the author is ashamed to be
British.
Our continued thanks to all of you for
caring.
From all the team at
ITD
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