Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
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Cat and Dog fur ban comes into force
The fur of cat and dogs will no longer be imported, exported or sold anywhere in the European Union, when an EU-wide ban comes into force on 31 December 2008.
The UK Government had actively pushed for the ban, given concerns about the conditions in which cats and dogs are bred, traded and slaughtered in order to harvest their fur in the Far East. The UK banned commercial fur farming in 2001.
Trade Minister Gareth Thomas said:
"This ban will give UK consumers confidence that whether shopping here or within the EU, they will not be sold products containing cat or dog fur.
"This is an abhorrent trade which has no place in our markets."
Minister for Farming and the Environment Jane Kennedy said:
"I am pleased that the EU ban will mean that British consumers will no longer face the possibility of unknowingly buying fur from cats or dogs particularly when most are raised in conditions we would not tolerate in the UK."
There is little evidence of cat and dog fur being imported into the UK. However such fur has been found in other EU countries in products ranging from children's soft toys, to fur trims on boots and coats. The UK Government believes a harmonised EU-wide approach is the most effective tool to stamp out this dreadful trade.
Notes to Editors
1. 'The Cat and Dog Fur (Control of Import, Export and Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008 No. 2795) introduce a criminal sanction for breach of EC Regulation 1523/2007 banning the commercial import, export and sale of cat and dog fur. This commercial trade ban comes into force across the EU on 31 December 2008.
2. EC Regulation 1523/2007 was published in the Official Journal on 11 December 2007 and the prohibition officially came into force 20 days thereafter. However, Member States were given until 31 December 2008 to provide an effective, persuasive and proportionate penalty for breach of this directly applicable prohibition.
3. Existing UK legislation, the Customs & Excise Management Act 1979 (CEMA), provides a penalty of seven years' imprisonment for deliberate breach of any enactment which has the effect of prohibiting imports into or exports from the UK but this would not cover unintentional breaches of the customs prohibition or deliberate or unintentional breaches of the prohibition on sale. Now that a ban is in place the (CEMA) Act 1979 applies.
4. Officers from HM Revenue & Customs will enforce the new ban and will utilise new forensic knowledge to detect cat or dog fur. This will build on work already carried out with DEFRA to prevent the illegal movement in endangered species and other banned animal goods.
5. These regulations also grant powers of investigation, seizure and forfeiture of the goods to Trading Standards bodies and introduce a criminal sanction with a maximum penalty of a £75,000 fine.
6. Several Member States, including the UK, now have the technology to test for domestic cat & dog fur using mass spectrometry and DNA testing. Previously it was difficult to assess, especially if the fur had been dyed.
7. Labelling of fur included in garments is not mandatory in the UK. However, the Trade Descriptions Act requires that if a manufacturer chooses to label a garment, the label must be accurate. The British Fur Trade Association introduced a voluntary labelling scheme in 2003.
8. Pictures and film footage of illegal cat and dog fur rearing, slaughter and products are available from Care for the Wild, phone 01306 627900 or 07970 987742
