The Fur Keeps Flying

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One thing you won't see on Europe's catwalks is cats — or, for that matter, dogs. But cat and dog fur is regularly used as trim or linings for gloves, boots, hats, jackets and other items made from pelts imported mostly from China, the Philippines and Thailand. Struan Stevenson, a Scottish Member of the European Parliament who wants an E.U.-wide ban on such imports, has a coat made of Alsatian skin (bought in Berlin), a rug made from four golden retrievers (from Copenhagen), individual cat pelts (obtained in Barcelona) and kitten-in-a-basket novelties made from dog fur. "I have personally bought these little cat figurines in virtually every country in the E.U.," he says. In Austria, Stevenson adds, some health shops advertise catskin rugs and blankets as a natural remedy for rheumatoid arthritis: "This is totally bogus nonsense."

The massive trade in the fur of "companion animals" is a growing issue among animal-rights campaigners. After dogs and cats have been inhumanely killed, they say, the fur is aggressively marketed around the world. Pelts are sold at fur auctions, made into consumer goods and then distributed further. In China alone, at least 2 million domestic animals are killed annually for their fur, according to the Humane Society International. With a handful of parliamentary colleagues, Stevenson is pushing the European Commission to halt the illicit trade. "I'm not suggesting that the Chinese change their ways," says Stevenson. "But if we close Europe to this trade, they'll only have Russia and their home market." Within the E.U., only Italy has so far applied a unilateral ban on dog and cat fur.

Making the imports illegal — as the U.S. has done — won't be easy. David Byrne, the E.U. commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, says he doesn't have the authority to intervene, and that "any import restriction would be considered a trade issue." But Trade commissioner Pascal Lamy says a ban applying to both internal trade and imports would be inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules. Until a complete ban is put in place, Stevenson argues, one legal loophole should be closed: under E.U. law, the source of small amounts of fur trim do not need to be identified. He cites a pink lamb's-wool sweater sold in Copenhagen that's decorated with pompons of dog fur: "No one in Europe would buy these products if they knew." In cases where the trim is identified, Stevenson says, importers concoct all sorts of exotic, meaningless names, like gae-wolf, sobaki and goupee.

Even if the E.U. cracked down on imports, verification is cumbersome and expensive. The curing process used on many skins destroys DNA, so it would be difficult to prove that pelts came from cats or dogs. And China is showing no interest in stopping the trade, or even understanding European objections. Stevenson needs 314 M.E.P.s' signatures by Dec. 22 to advance the proposed ban on cat and dog fur. By last week he had secured 273 and was confident of making the deadline: "Europe is clamoring for a ban."