Cat and dog fur is being
shipped into Britain on a record scale, it is
revealed today. Figures obtained by the Evening
Standard show a huge surge in imports of the pelts
for sale to the fashion industry. Traders from
Europe and the Far East ferried up to £7million
worth into Britain last year.
London has become a major international trading
centre for the furs, following bans in other
countries.
The scale of the business emerged in Customs
and Excise records released to an MP. The
statistics are normally available only to those
who pay a subscription to access an obscure
government website.
More than
£40million of fur-related items poured into
Britain last year - almost double the amount of
five years ago. Imports of clothes and fashion
accessories made with real fur have tripled from
£4 million to about £12million in the past decade.
As well as fur clothes, more than £6million of
"raw" animal fur, and £22million of tanned or
"dressed" fur, from 12 named species and "other
animals", was shipped into Britain last year.
Most of the pelts were from minks, foxes, or
rabbits - although more unusual species, such as
sea otters, sea lions and beavers are also
involved.
However, £1 million worth of fur came from
"wild felines" - while ?5.9 million fell into the
" other " category. Experts say the majority of
this is from domestic cats and dogs, since the 12
named categories cover almost everything else.
Andrew Butler, of People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, said: "These figures are
shocking. There is a huge international trade in
cat and dog fur, much of it coming from backyard
suppliers in the Far East who are totally
unregulated.
"The cruelty is massive. Many animals are taken
from the streets and butchered using appallingly
inhumane methods."
Although America, Italy, Sweden, Denmark,
Greece and Australia have banned all cat and dog
fur imports, there are no such restrictions in
Britain.
The majority of cat and dog fur arriving here
comes from China, where two million animals a year
are slaughtered for the trade.
MEP Struan Stevenson, who has campaigned for an
EU-wide ban, said: "As dealers are forced out of
other countries, they are coming here. The only
way to stop this evil trade is to ban it
throughout the EU."
Most of the pelts are only in Britain
temporarily and then shipped to other countries.
Although some cats and dogs are from fur farms,
bred for their pelts, many are strays.
Undercover investigators from animal rights
organisations have filmed backstreet operators in
China and the Philippines rounding up cats,
cramming them into tiny cages, and killing them
using barbaric methods.
The figures - released at the request of Labour
MP Lynne Jones - show the fur trade has undergone
a dramatic revival. After a slump, which saw the
overall value of fur imports to Britain drop to
little over ?26million in 1999, imports climbed to
£40.8million worth last year.
While the majority of British designers and
models shunned real fur in the Nineties, many now
appear to regard it as acceptable.
Last week, it emerged that Cindy Crawford - who
once posed for the "I'd rather go naked than wear
fur" campaign - has become a model for mink coat
firm Blackglama.
Paul Littlefair of the RSPCA said: "We are very
disturbed to see a general increase in the
reappearance of all types of fur.
"This trend has created a market for whole
garments as well as fur trim, toys and other
novelties. Countries in east Asia have only
recently begun producing dog and cat fur to meet
demand.
"Most animals reared for fur in China and
elsewhere are kept in extremely poor
accommodation, and generally not slaughtered
humanely."
The Department of Trade and Industry has not
ruled out banning imports of fur from domestic
cats and dogs, but fears new laws would be very
difficult to enforce.
A DTI spokesman said: "It is almost impossible
to tell whether the fur comes from wild or
domestic animals. Often the only way to be sure is
DNA testing. We would like to see more hard
evidence from animal rights groups."
