Burlington Pulls Offending Fur Ads
December 12, 2006
HSUS
In the wake of an undercover investigation announced Dec. 11 revealing that Burlington Coat Factory was selling real fur advertised as fake, Burlington has agreed to pull the offending advertisements from its stores nationwide and offered refunds to any consumers who may have inadvertently purchased the real fur garments. Burlington has also agreed to enter into discussions with The Humane Society of the United States about the company's policy on real fur.
The real fur jackets that were marketed by Burlington as "faux" contain internal labels stating that they are trimmed with "Racoon [sic] Fur of China Origin" or "Genuine Coyote Fur of China Origin."
Due to the lack of animal welfare laws and prevalence of garment factories, China currently ranks as one of the leading exporters of fur and supplies half of all of the fur products that enter the United States for sale.
Animals documented as raised and killed in China—often in barbaric ways—include dogs and cats (read the report, watch the video), foxes, mink, and, of particular note, raccoon dogs (read the report, watch the video [warning: graphic images]), a species of canine whose fur resembles raccoon fur. The HSUS has commissioned DNA tests of the jackets, and expects to be able to determine within a week whether the coats are made of dog fur.
A loophole in the current Fur Products Labeling Act provides the fur industry an easy way to slip dog and cat fur onto garments, leaving American consumers, shopping off the rack in local department stores, uninformed and unprotected. The current labeling law, passed during the Eisenhower Administration, requires labeling of full-length fur coats, but excludes jackets and other products trimmed in fur if the value of the fur is less than $150. The HSUS is working to close this loophole through federal legislation, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, introduced by Reps. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J. and Jim Moran, D-Va. Congress adjourned last week without taking action on this bill, but The HSUS intends to seek its reintroduction in 2007.
http://www.hsus.org/furfree/news/burlington_pulls_fur_ads.html
I just wonder what makes it way into Canada that is supposed to be fake. Char