British lawmakers appeal to ban real fur in clothing industry

LONDON - A call for a complete ban on real fur being used in Britain's clothing industry was made on Sunday by a group of politicians in a House of Commons report.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee made its call following an investigation which revealed some garments labeled as using fake fur were actually made with real fur from animals such as rabbit, fox and chinchilla.

The committee asked whether longer-term Britain's departure from the European Union could provide an opportunity for the government to change legislation around the import of fur.

It is not illegal to buy or sell fur, and although fur farming has been banned in Britain since 2000 it is legal to sell some types of real fur that have been imported, if it is accurately labeled.

Investigations over the last few years have highlighted examples where consumers, believing they are purchasing fake fur, have bought items containing real fur.

Many consumers, the report said, make a decision not to buy fur on ethical and animal welfare grounds, but choose to buy fake fur, made of synthetic fibers. In recent years, there have been cases of real fur being sold as fake fur by major high street and online retailers.

Neil Parish, chairman of the committee, said: "Reports of real fur being sold as fake fur shows that retailers are flouting their responsibility to consumers. The mis-selling of real fur should not be discovered by campaign organizations and the media, but by Trading Standards officers and retailers."

Parish said retailers had been complacent about the issue of fake fur, saying it is illegal to give misleading information, but adding that trading standards departments had been poor at identifying and acting against wrongdoers.

He said current EU requirements are not good enough to allow customers to understand the origin and contents of their clothing.

The Humane Society International UK told the committee that due to "high-volume, low-welfare intensive farming of animals", real fur could be produced and sold more cheaply than fake fur

Many of the items mis-sold as fake fur were small items, and low in price, including trim on hats, gloves and footwear, and pom-poms on hats and clothing.

The committee has called for the introduction of a new mandatory labeling regime that identifies fur and other animal products accurately.

The label should show the species of fur, the country of origin and method of production, it said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 07/24/2018 page12)