Mislabelled fake fur could lead to total ban

Beyonce

Ministers should consider an all-out ban on fur because consumers have been tricked into buying animal fur labelled as fake, a cross-party group of MPs says today.

A report from the environment select committee calls for the government to launch a public consultation on banning all types of animal fur in clothing and upholstery, and criticised trading standards officers for a “complacent” approach to enforcing the law.

Investigations last year by Humane Society International (HSI), an animal welfare group, and broadcasters, revealed that high street and online fashion outlets had been mislabelling garments as faux fur when tests revealed that they contained fox, mink and rabbit fur.

A public outcry prompted an inquiry by the environment, food and rural affairs select committee into practices in the fashion industry, and its report, Fur Trade in the UK, published today, is strongly critical of both retailers and trading standards.

The committee chairman, Neil Parish, said it was the responsibility of shops and local authorities to identify what they were selling.

“Reports of real fur being sold as fake fur show that retailers are flouting their responsibility to consumers,” the MP said. “Retailers of all sizes are complacent about the issue of fake faux fur. It is illegal to give misleading information, and Trading Standards have been poor at identifying and acting against those who are doing so.

“We are saying to government: it’s time to have a public consultation as to whether or not we should totally ban fur. Let’s see what the public say – if they want an all-out ban then it’s something we should have. Personally, I would probably leave it to consumer choice but the problem at the moment is that the consumer is not getting what they choose.”

Read more here