EU moves to ban cat and dog fur

The European Parliament is set to back a ban on cat and dog fur imports, in a move to reduce the two million cats and dogs slaughtered in China each year.

MEPs say shoppers buy goods made with the fur unknowingly, because exporters attach false labels.

It is used in coats, linings for boots and gloves, stuffed toys, and even homeopathic aids for arthritis.

MEPs have agreed with EU member states on the text of the law, which will come into effect by December 2008.

CAT AND DOG FUR TRADE Up to 10 adult dogs needed to make fur coat Up to 24 cats needed for cat fur coat Cat and dog fur also used in hats, gloves, shoes, blankets, stuffed animals and toys Dog fur labelled as: Gae-wolf, sobaki, Asian jackal, goupee, loup d'Asie, Corsac fox, dogues du Chine, fake or exotic fur Cat fur labelled as: house cat, wild cat, katzenfelle, rabbit, goyangi, mountain cat

"Many people are unwittingly deceived into buying garments made out of cat and dog fur due to mislabelling. This law will put an end to these deceptive practices," said Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy.

Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, said: "Slaughter of these animals is horrific, with cats strangled outside their cages as other cats look on.

"Dogs noosed with metal wires are slashed across the groin until they bleed to death as the wire noose cuts into their throat."

DNA tests

Liberal MEP Liz Lynne said a Europe-wide ban would add weight to bans already in force in several EU member states and the United States.

The legislation was initiated by the European Parliament, more than half of whose members signed a written declaration supporting a ban in December 2003.

The European Commission then drafted a regulation in 2006.

It aims to:

• Block cat and dog fur imports at the border

   

• Introduce penalties for traders

   

• Encourage sharing of information on how to detect cat and dog fur

The Commission says the obligation on member states to carry out checks and test for the fur will also provide a clearer picture of what products it is being used in, and where it comes from.

Main markets

As cat and dog fur can be hard to detect when it is dyed, some states are already using hi-tech systems - mass spectrometry or DNA testing - to identify it.

Europe and Russia are reported to be the main markets for the cats and dogs killed in China and some other Asian countries.

David Neale, UK director of Animals Asia Foundation, said the ban would stop hundreds of thousands if not millions of animals from being killed.

Ministers from the EU member states will need to give the ban their approval, but are not expected to reject it, following an informal agreement with the parliament on the text.

Want to live 40% longer? Eat 70% less food

BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhuanet) -- For 70 years scientists have known that fruit flies, mice, dogs and other animals on near-starvation diets tended to live up to 40 percent longer than those with better diets, and a recent study now reveals why.

    Reseachers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, have identified a gene in roundworms that directly connects calorie restriction to longer lifespan.

    Research leader Andrew Dillin said a gene called pha-4 plays a role in gut development in embryonic worms but in adults is associated with calorie-restricted longevity. Dillin said it is unclear whether similar genes may play a similar role in humans.

    "We don't know yet whether or not dietary restriction will increase longevity in humans," Dillin said. "There are several people that are actively doing this voluntarily.

    "But there is a primate study that's going on that's around 35 years into it," he added, "and it looks like the primates are going to respond very well to reduced food intake and actually live longer."

    Dillin said it usually takes a 50 to 70 percent reduction in normal food intake to yield longer lifespan in animals.

    People have three genes very much like the worm's pha-4. They are related to glucagon, a pancreatic hormone that increases blood sugar concentration and maintains the body's energy balance, particularly during fasting.

    Identifying the worm gene might open the door to drugs that imitate the effects of calorie restriction and could allow people to live longer without following such a severely restrictive diet, the researchers reported the journal Nature.

OIE resumes China's rights as member state

PARIS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) approved on Friday a resolution resuming China's legal rights as a member state, recognizing the "one China" policy.

    The resolution, which was overwhelmingly passed at the agency's 75th general assembly here, said China joins the OIE as a sovereign country while allowing China's Taiwan to take part in the agency's activities as a non-sovereign region.

    Following the resolution, Jia Youling, head of the Chinese delegation, was formally invited to attend this year's assembly and deliver a speech.

    "The Chinese government thinks highly of the important role and functions of the OIE in protecting animal health worldwide, and has been positive about joining the agency," Jia said.

    The resolution renewing China's rights as a member state is a significant step in maintaining and promoting the agency's cause, he said.

    He noted that maintaining animal health in China, an important part of the agency's worldwide mission, requires strong support from the OIE.

    China's participation in the agency's activities is absolutely necessary for maintaining and promoting the OIE's work in animal health, he said.

    As a responsible country, China will shoulder its obligations while enjoying the rights of a member state, and will make its own contribution by cooperating closely with other members, he added.

    The OIE, which was established in 1924 and headquartered in Paris, is the top agency regulating safety in the meat and livestock trade.