Introduction

Skinned Alive

In December of 1998, the Humane Society of the United States and Manfred Karreman a German investigative journalist, revealed the results of an 18 month investigation on the Asian fur trade. Investigaters witnessed warehouses the size of football fields piled high to the ceilings with dog and cat fur waiting to be exported to the West, and visited Government run slaughterhouses and companies in China, the escort, a Chinese Government official, told them that China looks upon dogs and cats as appropiate fur animals, and admitted that dogs and cats were NOT raised for the Chinese — “they are raised for the European consumer and the American consumer”

The investigation spanned source countries such as China, the Philippines, and Thailand, and focused on China, a country with one of the world’s worst animal abuse record and the primary source of dog and cat fur, as well as representative of the trade in these pelts, the whole gruesome buisness from the Chinese slaughterhouses to the European auction houses was filmed.

The film of dogs and cats, collected as part of the HSUS and Karreman investigation, shows some of the most shocking footage ever shot, a German Shepherd dog is “literally” skinned alive. “this is how dogs in China are killed for their fur” said Rick Swain, HSUS Vice President of Investigative Services. ” he never gave up hope he believed everything was going to be okay, the German Shepherd wagging his tail while the butcher stands with the knife in his hand” recalls Rick Swain, “the scene seared into memory, he’s still moving, the suffering goes on like this for an excruating four minutes until finally the pelt is taken, and I cant get him out of my mind”

“Twenty-five years of police work had not prepared me for the level of cruelty I have witnessed in China. The suffering of the dogs and cats is beyond description. It is something I will never forget as long as I live,” said Swain.

“It was terrible”, recalls Karreman. “I saw a cat with her fur being ripped off its back, screaming for a whole minute. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and I can still hear her screaming. I still see their faces, the terror and pain in their eyes; and I hear their desperate cries.” The shocking truth ultimately led to a U.S ban on the importation of dog and cat furs and skins.

Since then, exporters have turned to Europe as a major market for their products.

The long, hard fight towards a European ban on cat and dog fur

Domestic dog and cat fur continues throughout the European market, with few hopeful signs of action from the three key Commissioners who have it within their powers to ban the importation and sale of these products within the EU. David Byrne, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection continues to insist that this is an animal welfare problem best addressed by national governments.

That policy, however, comes despite the growing awareness of EU national Governments, several of which have recognized that the sale of such products is consumer fraud upon the European public as labels on cat and dog fur products either fail to identify the fur completely, or deliberately use false names.

A clearer example of consumer fraud would be difficult to find, particularly since the vast majority – if not all shoppers deceived into buying such products, would be horrified to learn that the fur trim on their coat hood or rawhide chew treat given to their own much loved pet is actually dog or cat.

In mid November, 11 out of 15 European states had voiced support for an EU wide ban, including Belgium, Germany, France, Greece, UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Italy and Spain.

The Commission, however, continued to drag its feet. In the wake of the November resolution in the Netherlands parliament, a leading Dutch newspaper quoted the Commission as saying that it would not ban the trade, and refused even to acknowledge that consumer fraud was being perpetrated upon the public.

Applying pressure upon the Commission is a European Parliament Written Declaration authored by MEPs Struan Stevenson, Bob van den Bos, Nelly Maes, Mihail Papayannakis and Phillip Whitehead.

“…immediately to draft a regulation under internal market powers to ban the import, export, sales and production of cat and dog furs and skins to restore European Union consumer and retailer confidence and end this trade.”

By 18 December, the Declaration had received the endorsement of 346 MEPs, [see ‘Update’] compelling the European Commission to act.

In January 2001, Italy was the first country to implement a regulation banning cat and dog fur and skins. In 2003, Denmark passed its own law, and on November 7, the French government signed a regulation that bans dog and cat fur and orders customs officials to enforce the law. In mid November Greece introduced its own law. And in January 2004, Belguim became the latest country to implement a ban.

What about Britain?

The British Fur Trade Association issued a statement that none of its members will trade in dog and cat fur. However, a recent “Newsnight” investigation found a member of the BFTA who was willing to import it and label it to suit the buyers requirements (i.e. by a trade name rather than as “cat fur” or “dog fur”).

Instead of outlawing this heinous trade, the government has simply welcomed a voluntary labelling scheme set up by the British Fur Trade from September 2003. This scheme is not compulsory, is totally unenforceable and will do nothing to stop the trade in cat and dog skin. The scheme is to cover fur from all animals, but as it is voluntary most fur on sale in the UK will continue to remain unlabelled. It is hard to imagine any importer or manufacturer of dog and cat products will suddenly start labelling them as such given the government’s committal to ban it once it is found on sale.

It is undoubtedly on sale in most countries throughout the EU including the UK, and until there is a complete Europe wide ban there is currently nothing to stop it.