Dog, fox and rabbit fur found in toys and keyrings in Australia
Laboratory testing of seven fluffy toys and keyrings sold online and at markets in the Australian state of New South Wales found genuine animal fur in all samples. Some of the products were advertised as faux-fur items, ABC News Australia reports.
Fur from three species found in samples
The testing, commissioned by the animal welfare organization Four Paws, was conducted by the UK laboratory Microtex Analysis. Specialists used microscopic hair analysis and determined that the samples contained dog, fox or rabbit fur.
A keyring shaped like an animal tail, sold by an online store for $2.61 as a bag charm made of “soft faux fur,” contained hair consistent with genuine dog fur. Imports of products made from dog and cat fur into Australia have been banned for decades.
A pink rabbit toy resembling a small teddy bear and sold at a Sydney market for $10 was found to contain hair consistent with rabbit fur. A yellow fluffy toy costing $16 also contained hair consistent with rabbit fur. A leather kangaroo-shaped keyring with a fluffy pompom, priced at $8, contained hair consistent with fox fur.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Regulator assesses the information
In most of the products examined, the fur had been dyed, making it more difficult for buyers to determine whether it was genuine. Some items had no label identifying the material, while most also lacked information about the country of manufacture.
Some products had tags reading “I [heart] Ugg Australia.” Australian company Ugg Australia, which processes sheepskin and makes Ugg footwear, said these toys and keyrings are not its products. According to the company, incorrectly labeled goods without country-of-origin information use its name and mislead consumers.
New South Wales Fair Trading said it was assessing the information to determine whether compliance monitoring measures or enforcement action were needed. It noted that sellers who falsely describe goods may be breaching the Australian Consumer Law and could face significant fines.
The Australian Border Force said that since the ban was introduced in 2004, it has seized 15 shipments of goods suspected of containing prohibited cat or dog fur. The sale of rabbit and fox fur is not prohibited in Australia, while toys are not subject to mandatory material-labeling requirements.
