Drochubh, drochéan.
A bad egg, a bad
bird.
Beware of false faux fur labels from China
manufacturers
By Sue Little
Sunday, July 01, 2007 6:00 AM EDT
A few months ago thousands of American dogs and cats died from
eating tainted pet foods concocted in China, sold by American firms
under popular brand name labels and purchased by trusting pet owners
in the United States. We heard of a number of tragic deaths from
local pets that had eaten the bad foods.
Since then we’ve learned of many other problem products manufactured
in China and sold in the U.S. ranging from mouthwash contaminated
with E. coli bacteria, toys made with lead paints and even dangerous
peeling car tires among other items.
Now yet another fiasco from China is coming into our nation,
according to the Humane Society of the United States. A 1998 winter
investigation by the HSUS revealed “an epidemic of false
advertising, mislabeling and lack of labeling on fur-trimmed
garments being sold in the U.S. as “faux” or false fur.
“Half of all fur garments entering the U.S. come from China where
large numbers of dogs, cats and raccoon dogs along with other
species are killed for their fur .... As many as two million dogs
and cats are killed for their fur each year in China,” stated the
report.
Later, well-documented video of “barbaric mistreatment of animals
killed in China each year for their fur including being skinned
alive” resulted in public outrage in the U.S. It led Congress to
“pass the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000 making it illegal to
import, export or sell products containing dog or cat fur in the
U.S.”
Unfortunately, fur from China’s raccoon dogs, a member of the canid
family which also includes wolves, jackals, foxes, coyotes and
domestic dogs, was not included in this ban.
Besides this, a loophole in the Fur Products Labeling Act of l951
“makes it easy for dog fur to slip into the U.S. undetected. While
the law requires fur garments disclose the name of the psecies
killed and the country of origin on all labels, “it only applies to
clothing containing more than $150 worth of fur,” noted the HSUS
newsletter.
In short, U.S. consumers who buy garments made in China and labeled
as faux fur are probably actually purchasing products that have not
only been mislabeled by the Chinese but also sheared and dyed to
appear the fur is fake when it is not and has really come from
cruelly killed domestic dogs and cats in China.
Fortunately in February 2007 “federal legislation to protect
American consumers and animals from deception and cruelty in the fur
trade was introduced. The Dog and Cat Fur Protection Enforcement Act
(H.R. 891) would include raccoon dogs among the species whose fur
cannot be legally sold in the U.S.
It would also close the loopholes in the labeling law by requiring
all fur garments, regardless of value, be labeled to identify the
species of animals killed and the country of origin.”
The HSUS urges contacting the U.S. representatives to co-sponsor
H.R.891 to require all garments to be accurately labeled and to ban
sale of fur from raccoon dogs. Call the congressional switchboard at
(202) 224-3121 or act online at
www.hsus.org/fur_labeling.
To identify legislators visit
www.hslf.org. I plan to do this but just to be sure I am never
going to buy anything that resembles fur on a garment or toy and I
am going to be diligently looking at labels’ “country of origin.”
Paws up this week to: David and Sharon Lukaszewski, dedicated
rescuers of pets and horses; Darla Thomas who adopted a wonderful
golden retriever mix from the local shelter about two years after
her beloved golden retriever died “as the best way to honor a family
member who has left this world”; Dan and Judy Haydon of Clock
Repair; Pat McLucas whose little Bandit loves his twice-daily leash
walks; Nell Steveson; all who are helping us build community
awareness of the need for a brand new state-of-the-art animal
shelter for Cleveland and Bradley County; and to Stephen Thomas,
president of the Walker County, Ga., animal shelter who is working
hard, as local citizens here are, to getting a bigger, better animal
shelter for his county.
To reach the local animal shelter at 360 Hill St., call 479-2122.
Call me with your pet and wildlife stories at 728-5414.
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