AR-News: Race Against Time to Ban Dog/Cat Fur in Europe

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From: Rosa Mertens 
To: rosa.mertens at pandora.be 
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 12:42 PM
Subject: Race Against Time to Ban Dog/Cat Fur in Europe


Van: Struanmep at aol.com [mailto:Struanmep at aol.com] 
Verzonden: zondag 18 april 2004 12:15

Aan: rosa.mertens at pandora.be

Onderwerp: Re: Race Against Time to Ban Dog/Cat Fur in Europe

Dear Rosa,

Please write to Romano Prodi - President of the Commission - demanding 

action. Byrne has written to me stating that Lamy is looking into labelling 

legislation, but this would be useless. The Chinese dealers will put any label you 

like on cat & dog fur items, becuase they know that no-one in Europe would ever 

buy an item labelled as cat or dog fur.

Also, I've jst had the latest lab test results for chromium on a cat in a 

basket figurine from China, but purchased by me in Scotland. It was 760 mg/kg, 

when thge legal safety ceiling for children's toys is 60 mg/kg. In other words 

it was more than 12 times over the safety threshold and therefore highly 

toxic. Yet another reason for an EU ban. We know that the majority of Ministers in 

the Council want an EU-wide ban, so do the majority of MEPs (346 signed our 

resolution) and so do the overwhelming majority of EU citizens. Why is the 

Commission refusing to budge?

Best wishes.



STRUAN STEVENSON MEP

EUROPEAN UNION

THE WRITTEN DECLARATION 17/2003

Source: "It's Their Destiny" http://itstheirdestiny.2kat.net 

Those of you that have been receiving our Updates for a while may well remember the one of 17th December 2003. We were pleased to be able to report then that the majority of Euro MPs had backed a call for the banning of dog and cat fur within Europe.

For reasons known only to themselves, the EU Commissioners have delayed implementing this democratic decision. If they do not act before the end of this EU Parliament in May, Declaration 17 will become automatically shelved.

At ITD we try to avoid making political comments of any kind. This is however an exception. Should they not implement a ban that has the backing of the majority of democratically elected Euro MPs and of European citizens, the EU Commissioners will show themselves to be not only ineffectual, but unfit for the position of trust that they hold. Although they may be replaced in the next Parliament, they will have displayed dishonour and contempt for the citizens in whose name they supposedly act.

Please read the report from the Daily Record below, then email the Commissioners expressing your outrage at their inactivity.



RED TAPE HOLDS UP BAN ON FUR TRADE 

Apr 17 2004


CAMPAIGNERS are facing a race against time to ban the evil trade in cat and dog fur.

Euro MPs finally backed a ban on the imports of household pet skins last year following a lengthy campaign led by the Daily Record.

But despite winning the support of a majority of MEPs, the ban has been caught up in Euro red tape with less than a month before the European Parliament breaks for the May elections.

Scots Euro MP Struan Stevenson has hit out at the European Commission who he claims are trying to stall the ban for political reasons.

Our campaign highlighted the shocking trade in the furs of cats and dogs, which are brutally killed and skinned by furriers in China, Thailand and South Korea before being imported to Europe.

MP Stevenson said: 'It is now up to the Commission to draft the legislation and put it before the Council of Ministers who can then approve the ban.

'But, even although it would only take five minutes for them to write up the legislation proposal to go before the Council, they still haven't done it and it could all soon be too late.'

Send emails to the Commissioners below: Antonio.Vitorino at cec.eu.int;David.Byrne at cec.eu.int;

Erkki.Liikanen at cec.eu.int;kabinett-fischler at cec.eu.int;

Frits.Bolkestein at cec.eu.int;Margot.Wallstrom at cec.eu.int;

Mario.Monti at cec.eu.int;Michaele.Schreyer at cec.eu.int;

Neil.Kinnock at cec.eu.int;Pascal.Lamy at cec.eu.int;

Poul.Nielson at cec.eu.int;Romano.Prodi at cec.eu.int,

Viviane.Reding at cec.eu.int

Sample email, but PLEASE write your own if possible.



Dear Commissioner

I was dismayed to learn that Declaration 17, which was endorsed by a clear majority of Euro MPs in December 2003, has not yet been acted upon by the Commissioners and, as a result, may not become a Directive.

Declaration 17 calls for the ban of the reprehensible trade in dog and cat fur and has the support of the majority of EU citizens. This support was reflected in the votes of their democratically elected Members within the EU Parliament.

You must be aware that, should you not act upon this within the current life of the EU Parliament, Declaration 17 is likely never to become legislation. I therefore urge you to take a few minutes from your busy schedule to draft the paperwork required to put this before the Council of Ministers, thus allowing the wishes of the European people to be enforced. The democratic process demands no less.

Till now we have collected more than 88 000 signatures on our petition only in Belgium.

website   http://www.infurmation.com/investig/dog_cat1/dogsan00.htm 

Yours sincerely


I thank you for your attention and await you reply, 

Name/email address

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