Advocacy group finds cat fur clothing sold in Victoria despite import ban
Clothing containing cat fur is still being sold in Victoria while being labelled as fake or sheep's wool, an advocacy group says, years after a state government taskforce vowed to crack down on the practice.
Forensic testing conducted by British fibre analysis firm Microtex has found a children's vest sold by fashion brand Suttons Ugg was made of domestic cat fur and rabbit fur, despite being labelled as "100 per cent Australian sheepskin or wool".
Suttons Ugg is not connected to UGG Since 1974, the Australian brand.
The tests, ordered by fashion advocacy group Collective Fashion Justice, also found two beanies purchased from Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market had pompoms made from fox and raccoon dog fur, but were labelled as acrylic.
Raccoon dogs are fox-like animals that advocates say are often electrocuted, bludgeoned to death, or skinned alive for their fur.
The discoveries have prompted animal welfare advocates and the Animal Justice Party to renew calls for a statewide ban on the sale of all animal fur, and a blanket ban on fur imports, arguing consumers are unknowingly purchasing real fur produced in cruel conditions overseas.
"Every Victorian would be shocked to know that they could go to the store and accidentally buy something made from cat fur, when they may have a cat at home themselves," Collective Fashion Justice founder Emma Hakansson said.
Under consumer laws, businesses can be fined up to $50 million, and individuals $2.5 million, for making false or misleading representations about products.
In a statement to the ABC, Suttons Ugg, which has retail stores in Sydney and Melbourne, admitted the label on the vest was "wrong".
A spokesperson said they had been informed by the manufacturer that the vest was made from a "kind of special fur", and the company could not "100 per cent confirm" whether that included cat.
Australia banned the import and export of cat and dog fur in 2004, but the Australian Border Force has reported no seizures in the 20 years since the prohibition came into force.
In 2020, Consumer Affairs Victoria launched an investigation into the mislabelling of fur products, which found every product independently tested by the taskforce was wrongly labelled.
Fur sellers were issued warnings, and one committed to a fur ban as a result.
Yet, years later, animal welfare activists say the practice remains widespread in Victoria.
Emma Hakansson said consumers could look for certain traits to check they were not buying items potentially containing animal hair.
"If the ends of the fur are quite wispy instead of blunt, then it's likely to be animal fur," she said.
"If you look at the middle, you might find skin attached, whereas it would be on a woven, fabric backing if it was faux fur. You can also see that faux fur shines a little bit differently — there are a few different tells."
Collective Fashion Justice, alongside the Animal Justice Party, has been testing fur products since 2021.
Ms Hakansson said that in that time, they had found mislabelled fur in several markets, individual retail shops, and chain stores across Melbourne.
The cat fur vest tested by the group was found after a tip-off from a member of the public.
Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell said it shouldn't be down to consumers to be able to spot mislabelled fur, and that Victoria should introduce a statewide ban on the sale of all fur.
"The [Victorian government] had no issue immediately banning machetes, we think they should treat this with as much seriousness," Ms Purcell said.
"We don't need another taskforce. We know that this is a problem, we know that the fur industry is cruel, we know that it's outdated."
Louise Ward, programs lead at animal welfare organisation Four Paws Australia, said it was clear Victorian and federal authorities were unable to enforce laws banning the mislabelling of fur products and the sale of cat and dog fur, and a complete ban on the import and export of fur was needed.
"Fur farming would not meet the basic welfare standards we have in Australia, and yet we're importing that cruelty from other countries," Ms Ward said.
Australian Border Force (ABF) did not respond to questions asking how it monitored attempts to import cat and dog fur, and how many seizures had been carried out since Australia's ban was introduced, but told the ABC it had granted six permits for keepsakes of pets.
However, Ms Ward, in email correspondence seen by the ABC, was told in April by ABF's Permits and Strategic Goods that no seizures had been performed since 2004.
"There have been no reports of seizure of illegal imports of dog or cat fur since the introduction of the prohibition," the ABF spokesperson said.
Last month, Switzerland became the first European country to ban the import and export of "cruelly produced" fur.
In the UK, a private members' bill that would prohibit the import and sale of fur was introduced into parliament this week and is set to be debated later in the year. It followed a high-profile campaign and petition that received more than 1.2 million signatures.
A spokesperson for Consumer Affairs Victoria said it "takes reports of business misconduct seriously and will investigate and take action where necessary."
Home Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
Queen Victoria Market said it was "unaware of mislabelled fur items" being sold at the market.
"We do not condone the sale of any goods of this nature and work with traders and relevant authorities to resolve specific situations when they are brought to our attention," a QVM spokesperson said.
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