Cat and dog fur secretly used in clothing

CAT and dog fur, often cruelly stripped from live animals, is being used in clothing and ornaments — often disguised as fake fur or simply not labelled at all.

It has been banned in some countries but the EU proposes a Europe-wide ban on its use after lobbying by concerned groups. The use of the fur in products produced or imported is not banned in Ireland. The Government, it emerged, remains in the dark about how much domestic animal fur is in circulation but is expected to agree to the ban at EU level.

The move to stop the trade in cat and dog fur has increased recently following videos and photographs of the trade that comes mainly from Asia, but has also surfaced in some European countries, including Belgium and the Czech Republic.

A major undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the US, who sent an investigator to China, revealed that two million cats and dogs were being raised under cruel conditions and then skinned alive, strangled or stabbed for their skins.

A coat needs up to 12 adult dog skins or 24 cat furs.

Betsy Dribben, European director of Humane Society International, has some tips on how not to buy cat or dog fur — by avoiding all fur products.