After several rounds of negotiations, the German Council Presidency has today reached a political agreement with the EU Commission and the European Parliament regarding a ban on imports of dog and cat furs.
"The ban on imports of dog and cat furs is a clear declaration of support for animal protection in the European Union. Prior to and during the Council Presidency, we have pushed very hard for the Member States to adopt a clear position against these terrible methods which inflict suffering on animals," said Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection today, on the occasion of the agreement reached in Strasbourg. Several Member States – including Germany – had called upon the EU Commission to prepare a proposal for a ban on these imports. In recent years, a television documentary has been shown in a number of Member States about the cruel killing of dogs and cats for their fur and meat in Asian countries. The documentary stated that European Union Member States were among those importing dog and cat furs from these Asian countries.
On 20.11.2006, the EU Commission presented a proposal for a "Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council banning the placing on the market and the import of or export from the Community of cat and dog fur and products containing such fur". The Agriculture Council conducted a public policy debate on the proposal on 29.01.2007. Following intensive negotiations with the European Parliament and the Commission, a ban on the import of dog and cat furs was adopted very quickly by the Plenary of the European Parliament – a mere 7 months, almost to the day, after the Commission proposal was presented.
The main area of discussion was the issue of exemptions. The German Council Presidency and a large number of Member States did not wish to have any exemptions. The European Parliament also adopted this position, following the results of Committee discussions and informal talks. However, for legal reasons (in particular due to the principle of proportionality), the Commission stuck to having exemptions from a general ban on imports. With the compromise voted on today, exemptions can only be permitted in a very limited area – for educational or taxidermy purposes. Exemptions can be proposed by the Commission subject to these very tight conditions, and require the consent of a majority of the Member States.
This Regulation is expected to be published after the summer recess. The Regulation will come into force on 31.12.2008.
