New York recently passed an important consumer and animal protection bill that will require fur products to be accurately labeled as either "real" or "faux," regardless of the fur's price tag. This new law closes a loophole in the federal Fur Products Labeling Act of 1951 that exempts garments containing less than $150 worth of fur from having to list the name of the species, the manufacturer, the country of origin, and other pertinent information on clothing labels. Now, New Yorkers who want to avoid buying animal fur because of ethical or health reasons (such as allergies) will now have the information they need to make informed purchases.

Thank you to all of the IDA supporters in New York who responded to our Action Alert asking them to encourage Governor Elliot Spitzer to sign this bill which was passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature. While similar labeling laws have been passed in Massachusetts and Wisconsin, the Empire State is the most lucrative fur market in the United States, so this new law will affect many purchases and ensure that consumers who want to buy synthetic fur get what they pay for. Unfortunately, this is more difficult than ever today, because many designers now use fur as trim on jacket collars or cuffs, sometimes shearing or dying it so that it looks fake, even though animals were brutally killed for this "fabric."

In addition, New York's new law will go a long way toward ensuring that illegal dog and cat fur never makes its way into stores. Though the sale of canine and feline fur has been illegal in the U.S. since 2000, results of an investigation released earlier this year revealed that many major department stores (including Macy's, J.C. Penney's, and Neiman Marcus) sold jackets made from dog fur that were labeled as faux fur or coyote, and items labeled as raccoon were actually raccoon dog fur (which is still legal in the United States).

Soon after the lid was blown off this illegal trade, Representatives Jim Moran (D-Virginia) and Mike Ferguson (R-New Jersey) introduced a bill to Congress called the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act. Like the recently-passed law in New York, this proposal aims to require all garments trimmed with fur to be labeled, regardless of value, but would also outlaw the importation of fur from raccoon dogs.

What You Can Do

- Please "Take Action" now to encourage your Representative to support and cosponsor the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act. To have the most impact, edit the sample letter to express your personal point of view and print it out as a letter to mail. You can also contact your elected officials by phone and postal mail.

- Also "Take Action" to ask your Senators to introduce a companion bill to the Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act in the Senate.

- Delaware residents: Please also "Take Action" to urge your state Representative to support H.B. 216, a bill currently under consideration that would require all fur sold in Delaware, regardless of monetary value, to be accurately labeled with the species of origin.