Moran Announces Introduction of Legislation Closing Dog and Cat Fur Trade Loophole

Washington, D.C., March 16th – Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, joined with New Jersey Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson to introduce the “Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2006,” (H.R. 4904), legislation which would close a loophole in federal law allowing clothing made with cat and dog fur to enter the U.S. market.

Over one in seven fur garments sold in the U.S. are not legally required to be labeled,” said Moran. “The result is that imported clothing made from companion animals, like dogs and cats, are able to slip in under the regulatory radar. Our legislation closes this loophole, requiring merchants to provide product information explaining exactly what type of fur their garments are made of.”

The “Truth in Fur Labeling Act” aims to close the loophole in the Fur Products Labeling Act, passed in 1951, which exempts products with a “relatively small quantity or value of fur” from requiring labels disclosing the name of the species, the manufacturer, the country of origin and other pertinent information. The Federal Trade Commission defines that value today as $150.

Cat and dog fur was a little known industry until an 18-month undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) exposed the grisly details in the late 1990s. Investigators found that millions of cats and dogs were being slaughtered each year in China for fur trim on coats, hats and other apparel. Investigators also found that many of these items ended up in major U.S. department stores, often mislabeled as gae-wolf, goupee, Asian wolf, China wolf, Mongolia dog fur, Sobaki, Pommern wolf, dogue de Chine, and loup d’Asie for dog fur, and rabbit, maopee, goyangi, katzenfelle, natuerliches mittel, chat de Chine, and gatto cinesi for cat fur.

Congress has since banned the import of fur products made from domestic dogs and cats, but these animals are still being killed in China and their fur sold legally in some countries in the European Union and elsewhere. Despite these bans, however, fur from a wild dog species and other animals in China, however, continues to flow into western markets, including the U.S.

American consumers would be shocked to learn that their unlabeled fur purchase may be from domestic cats and dogs; but how can they know for certain what they have if labeling isn’t required on all fur products?” said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of The Humane Society of the United States. “With hundreds of thousands of fur items being sold each year without labels, Congress needs to end the “Buyer Beware” mentality when it comes to fashion choice and pass the Truth in Fur Labeling Act.”

Demand for fur items that fall into the exempt category is steadily growing, and the industry predicts the use of fur pelts for trim will soon surpass the use of pelts for full-length apparel. Additionally, today’s fur manufacturing techniques make the unlabeled fur trim especially problematic for consumers. For instance, colorful dyes and unique shearing embellishments make the fur nearly indistinguishable as faux fur, dog and cat fur, or any other kind of fur.

The number of animals used to make one garment with a fur value of less than $150 varies. The following figures are based on approximate pelt prices after tanning and processing: 30 rabbits ($5/ea), 10 ermines ($15/ea), 9 chinchillas ($16/ea), 8 muskrats ($18/ea), 3 skunks ($40/ea), 3 raccoons ($50/ea), 2 beavers ($60/ea), 2 wild minks ($60/ea), 1 grey, red, or Arctic fox ($80-120/ea), 1 sable ($90-150/ea), 1 fisher ($150/ea), 1 badger ($150/ea), or 1 coyote ($150/ea).

Of the 500,000 garments sold each year in the U.S. containing fur that is not labeled, Moran went on to say, “The American public has every right to know what kind of fur is in the garment they are purchasing. It’s no different than requiring accurate labels on the food people purchase at their local supermarket.”