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Its inconceivable to understand the horrific cruelty to the dogs and cats in China, the German Shepherd in the video was also beaten before he was skinned alive by two men, it was heartrending and unforgettable. These acts of horrendous cruelty directed towards "mans best friend", cannot continue, laws have to be enforced in 'all' countries to stop these atrocities! no more pain for these animals.
The most effective voice we have against all this horror is our voice as consumers, so let us use it, ending this suffering is dependent entirely upon public outcry! we CAN end this evil trade, but only with your help.. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Australia, the United States, Switzerland and five EU member nations - Italy, Denmark, Belgium, France and Greece – have already banned imports of dog and cat fur. But the European Union as a whole has no such ban. Voice 4 Dogs has actively campaigned for both a UK and EU-wide ban for more than five years, hence we were delighted in November 2006 when the European Commission issued a proposal to ban the import, export and sale of dog and cat fur across the 27 Member Nations of the EU. However, the proposed legislation is not a total ban since it contains provisions which allow the ban to be derogated from, and a major loophole that allows fur into the EU from dogs and cats killed for other purposes. The Commission said it hoped the ban could be adopted by the end of June- after the European Parliament gives its consent to the measure. However, if the proposed law is passed as it currently stands - this loophole will totally defeat its purpose. Update - 19 June 2007: Wonderful news! MEPs have rejected the gaping loophole in Commission proposal and, unamiously approved a new law to put an end to the barbaric trade in dog and cat fur in the EU which has been put to a final vote of the European Parliament in Strasbourg today: Please go to: Current Situation
ACT NOW: The draft legislation will now be considered by MEPs (members of the European Parliament: Write to All of your MEPs – you will find that you may have up to ten depending on which region you live in. Ask them to remove this loophole and all exemptions from the proposal before it is passed. (UK only - Click Here to locate the address of your local MEPs. Click here for the European Parliament's website in German French Spanish Then choose the country that you live in. Click on the name of your MEP and scroll to the bottom of their page to find their postal address. A sample letter to an MEP is provided below - but Please try to write a letter in your own words (individually written letters always carry more weight: Dear ( name of MEP) Re: Proposed EU ban of Dog and Cat Fur As you will be aware, on the 29th January 2007 the EU Council of Ministers unanimously supported fully to have a ban on dog and cat fur and approved of the proposal in principle. A majority however objected, some quite strongly to exemptions being granted to this ban, particularly an exemption which allows the trade to continue unabated within the EU, as long as the skins are labelled as originating from cats and dogs that have not been bred or killed for fur production. As the proposed ban is only applicable to fur from cats and dogs bred specifically for fur production, EU customs officers would not be able, legally, to stop fur from dogs and cats bred for meat or rounded up strays in countries such as China from entering the European market. This exception defeats any efforts to prevent the inflow of cat and dog skins into the EU, by providing a gaping loophole that would be ruthlessly exploited. There is no doubt that Chinese furriers and traders would simply declare their skins to be by-products of meat production to evade the import ban, I therefore consider this exemption to be extremely serious and must be removed or there is no point to the overall legislation. As your constituent, I respectfully ask you to oppose all exemptions and to vote within the relevant committee for them to be removed from this proposal. I would also ask you to persuade your peers to do the same, so that Europe can end up with a total and enforceable ban, minus loopholes. I look forward to your positive response, Sincerely, Your name and address). * * * * * * * * Update 12th APRIL 2007: Thank you to everyone who contacted your MEPs asking them to remove the loopholes from the Commission's proposed ban!. A comprehensive EU ban on trade in dog and cat fur was today approved by the European Parliament Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection - as MEPs unanimously voted that there should be no exemptions from the proposed ban!. Thus an amendment from Parliament removing the loopholes has been proposed and is to be voted on in Strasbourg 18th - 21st June: Whilst back in January EU Member States unanimously approved of the proposal in principle, many Ministers (not the UK) objected to the loophole allowing fur from dogs and cats killed for other purposes. For an EU ban free of loopholes - a sufficient number of Member States also must agree and approve that exemptions are removed from the proposal, therefore it is vital that Britain too supports the removal of these from the proposed legislation: Please write to your MP asking them to raise this matter with the UK Minister of Trade Ian McCartney - to ask if he intends to oppose the exemptions and support their removal from the proposed ban. If your not sure who your MP is go to: http://www.faxyourmp.com - you can use this free service to send them a fax, and every MP can be contacted at the following address: [Name of Your MP] As with MEP’s, a sample letter to an MP is provided below - but Please try to write a letter in your own words (individually written letters always carry more weight: Dear ( name of MP) Re: International Fur Trade - Domestic Dogs & Cats As you may be aware, on 20th November 2006 the European Commission issued a proposal to ban the import of dog and cat fur to the European Union. The proposal however contains several exemptions, one of which allows the trade to continue unabated within the EU, as long as the pelts are labelled as originating from cats and dogs that have not been bred or killed for fur production. On 29th January 2007 the EU Council of Ministers unanimously supported fully to have a ban on dog and cat fur and approved of the proposal in principle. However, whilst a majority of Member States objected, some quite strongly to exemptions being granted to this ban, the UK did not. The proposed ban is only applicable to fur from cats and dogs bred specifically for fur production and EU customs officers thus would not be able, legally, to stop fur from dogs and cats bred for meat or rounded up strays in countries such as China from entering the European market. This exemption defeats any efforts to prevent the inflow of cat and dog skins into the EU, by providing a gaping loophole that would be ruthlessly exploited. There is no doubt that Chinese furriers and traders would simply declare their skins to be by-products of meat production to evade the import ban, I therefore consider this exception to be extremely serious and must be removed or there is no point to the overall legislation. As your constituent, I am asking you to raise this matter with the UK Minister of Trade Ian McCartney to ask if he intends to oppose the Commission proposed exceptions as many other Member States have, and support the removal of these from the proposed ban so that Europe can end up with total and enforceable legislation, minus any loopholes. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Your name and address). * * * * * * * * What is the UK Government doing? In 2002 the government banned fur farming
in the UK on humane grounds and because of strong public opinion. However,
fur imported from abroad is still available and China is literally flooding
global markets with its goods. The bans in the US and Australia now means that even more dog and cat fur will be exported into the EU and UK, Therefore it is essential that bans be introduced both here and in Europe In July 2003, the government announced its decision to simply back a voluntary labelling scheme set up by the Fur Trade from September 2003. This scheme is not compulsory, it is totally unenforceable and will do nothing to stop the trade in dog and cat fur. The British Fur Trade Association has 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". In January 2004, former Trade Minister Mike O’Brien reported the governments lack of success in developing a test for identifying cat and dog skins entering the country, he stated - “no reliable tests to identify these particular furs are in place,” and added - "the government is continuing to work hard to identify a reliable method for identifying fur by species." However, more than three years down the line and to date, the government still has no customs test in place to identify dog or cat skins entering the UK Thousands of cats and dogs suffer unspeakable deaths every day for fur. China has no animal welfare laws to protect them from this atrocity.
Please write to the
Chinese Ambassador in London, urging China to urgently enact an animal welfare
law to prohibit the killing of dogs and cats for fur. And to also urgently
enact legislations to prohibit the inhumane treatment of all animals in the
fur industry. UK and Northern Ireland: His
Excellency Mr Zha Peixin IRELAND: His
Excellency Mr Zhang Xinsen No matter where in the world you live, please write to the Chinese Embassy in your country: Worldwide
Chinese Embassy Addresses Voice 4 Dogs urges everyone to never buy anything with fur on it, because wether it is the companion animals we love and share our homes with, or animals like minks, foxes and raccoons, all fur products are made from the dead bodies of animals who suffered - no matter what species they are or what country they were killed in. Write to the British Fur Trade Association to express your concerns about their involvement in the Chinese dog and cat fur Trade: Robert
Morgan, Executive Officer “Europeans
and Americans Share the Blame” In November 2005, a spokesman for the
Chinese ambassador in London told BBC News, "Though cats and dogs are
not endangered, we do not encourage the ill treatment of cats and dogs...
but, anyway, the fur trade mostly feeds markets in the U.S. and Europe. This
fur is not consumed in China. So the Americans and Europeans should accept
the blame... We have no plans to clamp down on this internally that I am
aware of–it is for the U.S. and Europeans to take their own action. They
should boycott fur as a fashion material." When you go shopping and you see something you want to buy, check if it is made in China, if so, leave it on the shelf and look for an alternative product. Then write to the Chinese government about your non-purchase! This is important as there is no point protesting 'silently'. The Chinese government has to be made aware that people are boycotting Chinese products, and the reason why. ONE MORE VOICE One more voice will now be heard, I'll do my best to write, With pen in hand instead of sword, my voice will join the fight. One more voice inspired now, to aid their helpless plight, the written word is stronger than the sword or bullet's might. ~~ Judi Whittaker 2002
WHAT MORE CAN YOU DO? Tell everyone you know about the Chinese fur trade and how the dogs, cats and other animals have to live and how they have to die. Once people are aware, they won’t want to buy these products of suffering. If the market disappears, manufacturers will stop making these products.
Inform owners and
managers of shops and department stores about the trade in dog and cat fur
and ask them to not sell fur products.
Boycott
shops that sell fur, and politely but firmly explain your reasons to
management. Tell them you won’t shop at their premises again until they
stop selling fur and that you will encourage your friends and family and
everyone in your community to do the same. The Chinese pet products industry is hugely profitable (and it brings much more money to the booming Chinese economy than cat and dog fur sales.) This makes China vulnerable to a boycott that will hit them where it really counts: Tell the pet shop owners and management in your local area that you are boycotting products made in China as a protest against the Chinese dog and cat fur trade, and urge them to join the boycott by refusing to sell toys, leads, bowls or any other products that are manufactured in China. Let shopkeepers know when you do not buy a product because it's made in china. Write letters to local papers, contact local radio stations and tv news stations to raise awareness of the issue. Circulate our website address, www.voice4dogs.org to friends, family, neighbours and those in your address books, spread the word. And of course…don’t buy clothes or accessories or goods that are made of fur or are fur trimmed - remember that real fur is now frequently sold as fake fur. Making a donation helps us to commission extensive scientific testing of fur products on sale in the UK, in order to prove to the government with clear evidence that dog and cat fur is indeed in the UK market. Any amount of contribution, however large or small, would aid our work enormously.
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