HC Deb 09 January 2003 vol 397 cc297-8W
Mr. Sanders

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations there are to prevent the (a) importation and (b) sale of goods made from (i) cats and (ii) dogs; and if she will make a statement. [88377]

Nigel Griffiths

At present there is no provision in the EU to prevent either the importation or sale of goods on the basis that they are made from cats and dogs.

My noble Friend, the Minister for Trade and Investment in response to an oral question from Baroness Gale on 11 December 2001, Official Report, column 1234, has undertaken to report to Parliament on the Government's findings on how much cat and dog fur is coming into the UK; whether a similar ban to that enacted in the US would be effective; and to explore all options for stopping the trade, if there is evidence that it exists. She has invited those MPs and Peers who have written to Ministers on this topic to a meeting in the Houses of Parliament on 15 January 2003 to discuss the issue further.