January 31, 2006
Subject: The Horrific Fur Industry and International Trade
Dear Sirs,

The fur trade continues to claim millions upon millions of lives annually and the great majority of fur products for the world market are imported from China where there is an abundance of cheap labour.
With no animal welfare regulations or industry standards that protect these defenseless beings, farmers can confine, slaughter and transport the animals however they see fit. Undercover operations documented by PETA http://peta.org/, the Humane Society of Canada , the Humane Society of the United States http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/cruelty_issues_around_the_world/dying_for_fur_recent_investigation_shows_cruelty_at_chinese_fur_farms.html
Swiss Animal Protection/East International http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/ ,and Care for the Wild http://www.careforthewild.org/default_detail.asp?detail=true&I_ID=202§ion=Home, have exposed the world to the shocking and violent abuses inflicted upon foxes, raccoons, dog, cats, rabbits, and others.
Crammed into tiny, filthy wire-mesh cages, exposed to the elements, they exist and suffer until ready for the transport stage. Cages are heaped upon the backs of trucks, animals arriving for slaughter have already died or are dying as they are then thrown from the top of the vehicle, and the remaining ones are brutally killed by such methods as neck-breaking, strangulation, or being repeatedly bashed against a wall. Some are skinned while alive and conscious.

I am urging the Chinese government to enact national animal welfare regulations and anti-cruelty laws that would protect all animals and end the cruel treatment and slaughter of all those species exploited for the fur industry. There is simply no place for this and it's time to move forward with action that would allow other species a respected position in human society. Until then I shall not buy anything labelled "Made in China."

I am also asking that Canada examine its global responsibility with respect to the fur industry and follow the example of other civilized countries and immediately ban the import and sale of dog and cat fur items. There is no excuse or defense of an industry that profits from the hell and misery of others.

Sincerely,
Carmina Gooch