Monday, 29th December 2008
Euro law ends years of barbaric trade of cat and dog fur
Following a tireless, nine year campaign by Scots Tory MEP Struan Stevenson, the horrific trade in cat and dog fur across Europe will be a thing of the past when a total ban comes into effect on Thursday (1st January 2009). From then, there can be no legal import, export or trade in this fur in any of the 27 EU Member States.
With support from Humane Society International and the public, including a number of celebrities, Mr Stevenson repeatedly highlighted the cruel slaughter of more than two million cats and dogs in China each year. From the beginning of his campaign in 1999, it took him three years to persuade his fellow MEPs to support his calls for a Europe-wide ban and, in December 2003, it became the formal position of the Parliament to seek a total ban.
However it took continuing pressure on Struan’s part until June 2007 when MEPs finally voted to support a law drawn up by the European Commission outlawing the import, export and trade in cat and dog fur. There was a unanimous vote at First Reading of the Bill in a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The new law takes effect across all 27 Member States of the EU as of 1st January 2009.
Speaking about the campaign, Mr Stevenson said:
“I’m delighted that this is finally the end, as far as Europe is concerned, of what is a barbaric trade. This ban is a huge victory for the innocent victims - the millions of cats and dogs in China and Asia who have now been saved from gruesome, unnecessary deaths simply to meet demand in the EU.”
Cat and dog fur has been extensively used to provide fur-trim for parka hoods, ski boot and glove linings and bizarrely, to manufacture cute little cats and dogs in baskets, which animal lovers buy as toys for their children, not realising that real cats and dogs have been brutally killed and skinned to make these products. Cat and dog skins imported from China have even turned up as full-length fur coats made from Alsatian puppies and rugs made from golden retrievers.
He added:
“The ban comes just in time as I understand there is something of a revival in fur in the fashion world. The onus is now on retailers and others to ensure that such demand doesn’t encourage unscrupulous fur dealers to search for ways to break the law. We all need to remain vigilant if we see suspect fur in this country and ask questions as to its origin.”
A Europe-wide ban follows similar legislation in America and Australia. China however, continues to trade cat and dog fur in domestic and overseas markets, with much output still going to Russia.
Mr Stevenson concluded:
“My hope is that a Europe-wide ban together with the refusal of America and Australia to market such wares, can bring an absolute end to the killing of these animals for their skin. China must now follow suit if it genuinely wants to belong to the global family of civilised nations. I urge the Chinese authorities to ban this trade and in particular to close down the export of cat and dog skins to Russia.”
Chronology of the EU campaign
1999 - Humane Society International’s (HSI) launches campaign in Europe with support of Struan Stevenson MEP to ban trade of cat & dog fur. The campaign focused on:
• Exposing the barbaric cruelty of the trade
• The potential danger of exposure to high levels of toxic chromium on cat & dog fur toys imported from China.
• Consumer fraud perpetrated on an unsuspecting public through false labelling using names like Gae Wolf, Sobaki and Asian Jackal and dyeing cat & dog fur to look like faux fur.
• The widespread evidence of cat skins being sold in Belgium, Germany and Austria (and possibly other EU countries) as pseudo health aids (rheuma-bandages).
2000 - Following a US ban and reacting to the HSI/Stevenson campaign, 5 EU countries unilaterally banned the trade – Italy, Denmark, France, Belgium, & Greece. Australia also introduced a ban.
The Shengen Accord means that countries where a unilateral ban has been introduced cannot stop the movement of cat & dog fur across their borders. HSI/Stevenson therefore concluded that only an EU-wide ban would be effective in sealing the external borders of Europe to this trade.
However, there was strong resistance from the then Commissioner for Consumer Affairs David Byrne, who advised that there could be no legal basis for an EU wide ban on cat & dog fur and that such a ban would breach WTO rules.
2003 - A majority of MEPs (346) signed a resolution tabled by Stevenson, calling for an EU-wide ban. This therefore became the formal position of the European Parliament.
HSI commissioned a legal opinion from leading international experts - Matrix Chambers - which indicated how an EU-wide ban could be implemented under EU treaty law as well as outlining how it would be compatible with WTO rules.
The Council of Agriculture Ministers three times debated the issue and each time an overwhelming majority of ministers called upon the Commission to act.
The involvement of Heather Mills McCartney and Rick Wakeman gave a major boost to the already high profile international media campaign. Support from Sir Paul McCartney calling for a boycott on Chinese fur products also had a significant impact.
Heather Mills McCartney collected over 250,000 signatures on an on-line petition on her web page, demanding an EU ban. This was one of hundreds of petitions cumulatively gathering more than one million signatures across Europe.
2004 - Dennis Erdman (Director of ‘Sex in the City’) persuaded several major Holywood celebrities to write to the new Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, appointed in 2004, Markos Kyprianou (Cyprus), supporting a ban.
Struan Stevenson raised the issue in Beijing at a meeting at the State Forestry Administration who control animal welfare in China, where he met with Deputy Chairman – Zhao Xuemin – and five of his senior officials, including Secretary General of the China Wildlife Conservation Association – Chen Runsheng. They agreed that they would welcome an EU ban and regarded the trade as “barbaric”.
2006 - Commissioner Kyprianou instructed his officials to draw up a draft Regulation proposing an EU-wide ban. It was published in December of that year.
Struan Stevenson was appointed rapporteur for an Opinion from the Agriculture Committee and co-operated closely with the main rapporteur – Eva Britt Svensson (Consumer Affairs Committee) – on the writing of the report. In particular, Stevenson urged the removal of derogations from the draft Regulation which would have opened up a major loophole in the legislation.
2007 - Successful ‘trialogue’ discussions between the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, meant that the agreed report was approved unanimously at First Reading in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg in June, becoming law in all 27 EU Member States at the latest by 31st December 2008.
