The dog and cat meat industries also sell leftover pelts to the fashion industry, where a fur coat might be made from approximately 12 dogs, or 24 cats. The furs are
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3CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 51.1 Purpose of Report 61.2 Objectives 71.3 Methodology 72. INVESTIGATIONS: THE DOG AND CAT FUR TRADE IN CHINA 82.1 Source of animals 92.2 Financial elements of dog and cat sales 122.3 Quantity and availability 142.4 Transportation 16 3. PRODUCTION 193.1 Slaughter 193.2 Products and sales 203.3 Labeling 223.4. Export 25 4. CONCLUSION 27ACTAsia thanks Dogs Trust for their support in the production of this report Copyright © ACTAsia for Animals 2017 2A dog is suspended by its tail, to be slaughtered for its fur with a bludgeon and knife.
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5I. INTRODUCTIONChina is the largest fur trading and processing country in the world, producing 75% of all furs sourced globally1. The demand for fur products is growing with the rise in economic standards and online marketing by fur retailers. Traditionally adults were the main consumers of fur products, but the market has more recently expanded into children™s fashions. Unlike in western countries, dogs and cats are openly used as a source for fur products in China. industry expands. Most Chinese fur farms have been established in the last 10 to 15 years, and include dog, cat, fox, mink, raccoon dog and rabbit. In China, dogs and cats are openly used for both their meat and their fur. Some animals are and cat meat industries also sell leftover pelts to the fashion industry, where a fur coat might be made from approximately 12 dogs, or 24 cats. The furs are also used as trimmings for various do not separate dog and cat fur from that of other animal origins, but ten years ago, the number of companion animals used in the fur industry was estimated to be in excess of two million annually. It can be assumed that the numbers are now considerably higher and still growing. To generalize, the Chinese population has little understanding of, or concern for, the immense suffering of animals who are used for their fur, and may also be unaware that dog and cat fur is used for many of the products they consume. That™s why it is essential to raise public awareness of these issues in China. In western countries, the anti-fur movement had its greatest impact through public awareness campaigns. ACTAsia has adopted this strategy for the No Fur China campaign, recognizing that consumer awareness is an essential step towards reducing the use of fur, and ultimately putting the fur industry out of business. ACTAsia™s No Fur China campaign aims to use an educational approach based on factual data, instead of a sensational approach, recognizing that human behavior and attitudes can only change through the process of education. We work to create awareness through training, through the media and social networking sites, so individuals can make informed choices. ACTAsia™s No Fur China campaign started in 2010 to coincide with the Chinese Year of the Rabbit in February 2011. The annual Chinese New Year celebrations are the time of year when fur coats and accessories are purchased to mark this special time in the Chinese calendar. This is a boom time for fur retailers who maximize sales through increasingly aggressive marketing, especially targeting young people, many of whom see fur as a desirable fashion statement. It should be noted that currently an understanding of animal welfare is in its infancy in China; there are few animal welfare organizations, a lack of animal protection legislation and general indifference towards wide-scale animal abuse and suffering 2. It is generally considered by western cultures that dog fur is the left-over product from the dog meat trade. This may have applied historically but in Chinese culture today, the dog and cat fur trade is clearly emerging as a stand-alone industry, as our investigations and research have clearly revealed. 1 ‚75% of world™s fur processed by China: report™, wantchinatimes.com., accessed 23rd Feb 2014, http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20130119000053&cid=1102 2 ‚Changing China, Country status report within the political and social context™ ACTAsia for Animals, 2011, http://www.actasia.org/changing-china.html 4
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6Naturally there is some overlap, but pelts from the meat industry are nowhere near enough to satisfy demand. This rising demand for fur has mainly come about through intense marketing campaigns, which promote fur as fashionable and desirable. Such promotions are particularly With increased spending power, the younger generation of both men and women in China have different demands and expectations from their parents and grandparents. It™s likely that older generations did eat dog and cat meat, but were unlikely to have owned fur items, as only the very wealthy were able to buy fur as a luxury item. Today, young people in China want fur items as fashion statements and the demand is high. However, teating dog or cat meat is less popular among young people, as it™s considered to be unfashionable.1.1 PURPOSE OF REPORTThe purpose of this report is to help the reader understand the issues and implications for dogs and cats used in the fur trade in China.6
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82. INVESTIGATIONS: RELEVANT TO DOG AND CAT FUR TRADE IN CHINA Guanzhou in Guandong Province, population 105 millionThis area is close to Hong Kong, and well known as ‚a dog-eating province™. Live dogs are available to buy at markets for meat, and their fur and skin are ‚torched™ when purchased. As a result, there are no furs as a by-product from these particular animals. The fur wholesale market in Guanzhou is a covered four-story building, where traders each have a shop area displaying countless pelts of various types of animal. Animals include snow and blue foxes, mink, rabbits, dogs, raccoons, cats, and horses. When ACTAsia investigated, the shop sellers were openly willing to discuss and provide information on the pelts displayed, with regard to the type of animal, quality and origin. One seller claimed the dog fur was ‚real German Shepherd™ and ‚real Golden Retriever™. It is estimated that one third of the fur sales in the wholesale market of Guanzhou city are of dog and cat fur, with the remaining two thirds made up of other species of animal listed above. In addition to Guanzhou, at wholesale markets in the northern Provinces of Heibei and Zhejiang, two of the main markets have hundreds of stalls selling pelts, with the demand for dog and cat fur steadily growing. All furs are available for export. 8
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92.1 SOURCE OF ANIMALSa) Dog breeding farmsMany dog farms have been established in the last ten years and now openly advertize that dogs farmed at their premises are bred for their meat and fur, also as breeding stock for those wanting to set up new farms. Many of these farms are located in northern areas of China, such as Shandong Province. The farms promote the multiple uses of a dog, therefore the overall value of a farmed dog is increased, and is regarded as a highly economic farm animal. An advertisement on a dog farm™s website states: ‚Dog meat can be sold as a fresh product or processed food. Dog fur, after tanning, can be used for clothes, hats and shoes. The remaining parts e.g. dog bones, paws, penises, or stones in a dog™s gallbladder, kidney or stomach, can be sold for use in Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM)3.™ Pelts from Tibetan Mastiff, German Shepherd, Golden Retrievers, Husky, and other large, mixed breeds were the most commonly seen breeds during the ACTAsia investigations of Chinese fur markets. This corresponds with the breeds of dogs used for meat. We were told by traders that the pelts are mainly sourced in northern China, which substantiates the dog farmers™ claims that their farms supply both the meat trade and the fur trade.The grey fur of German Shepherd dogs is considered desirable for coats and trims and is priced higher than yellow fur; it is often labelled as fox or Asiatic raccoon, but there are also other pseudonyms. It is similar in appearance to the fur of coyote, raccoon, as well as other species commonly exploited for use as trimmings.b) Owned, unwanted and stolen dogs The culture of keeping pets has grown in China during the last 20 years. Sadly, unwanted dogs are also on the increase in China due to unregulated pet markets, irresponsible pet ownership, private dog shelters and government dog pounds. During this research, animal protectionists informed ACTAsia they suspect that dogs from these pounds end up in the dog meat trade, as large numbers of animals often just disappear overnight. On some occasions animal protection groups have followed vehicles transporting dogs to markets in the north of China. Stealing dogs from cities or villages is regularly reported in the Chinese media. Dog thieves travel around the cities and villages operating as a team, usually with a driver plus one or two catchers. In cities, such dogs are usually small breeds (unlike the large dogs bred at dog farms) as some city municipalities impose a height restriction on dogs kept as pets. This restriction may vary from city to city, but is around 35 cm, whereas in villages, such restrictions are not in force so dogs may be of any size. Some stolen dogs are supplied to meat markets. Municipalities do have strategies for dog control, but these are usually random culls in response to complaints from the public about aggressive or noisy dogs. Culls also take place at times of general city clean-ups and maintenance. 3 Shangdong LongDa Dog Farm, sdldqy.com, accessed 28 Jan 2014, http://www.sdldqy.com/dyzs.asp?id=1 8
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10c) Cat catchersCat breeding farms supplying cat meat and fur are less common than dog farms in China, with only a few breeding farms advertising cats as pets and for meat. Traditionally, cats are regarded as a more useful animal than dogs and not considered to be such a nuisance. As a result, there is less demand for cat meat in northern areas, where the cat is a popular pet. This may help to explain why cats are not widely exploited through organized farming. Municipalities in China do not have regulations or licensing procedures for cat owners and do not catch stray or roaming cats, so the over population of cats is visible in public areas. Cats are caught indiscriminately, whether they are owned, lost or stray, in many areas of China by catchers who tend to work alone and at night. Once caught, cats are taken to regional dealers who transport them to wholesalers in southern regions, such as Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, where they are slaughtered to supply restaurants and traditional markets. A cat catcher in Shanghai claimed that he could catch in excess of 10 to 15 cats per night and sell at £1.50 per cat, earning up to £40 a night. According to him, his monthly income is more than he could earn as a chef in a local restaurant4. It is interesting to note that there are many cat protection groups in China with wide national action, especially in the northern provinces, but very few dog protectionist groups. The contrast between cats being more desirable pets than dogs is highlighted by the exploitation of dogs. Chinese internet search engines reveal numerous pages of listed dog farms with established web sites and sophisticated marketing ploys.Immediately after slaughter, cat fur pelts are treated with salt as a preservative to prevent the fur becoming detached from the skin. The pelts are sent to tanning factories in northern China, mainly in Heibei Province or to Guandong Province in the south. Hebei Province has many fur trade markets, trading for centuries in all types of fur. One such market is in Day-in, renowned for trading and processing cat pelts to make or trim a variety of products. These furs are often dyed to even-out any color discrepancies and used for bags and children™s jackets. 4 ‚Cat fur sale network™, www.news.qq.com , accessed on 3rd Feb 2014 http://news.qq.com/a/20100812/001220_3.htm1011
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11Source: China Southern Daily5According to the Fur Trading Company in Hebei Province, cat pelts are not only sourced from the cat meat industry, but are also killed primarily for their fur. Evidence-based and anecdotal research show how the low-cost industry of catching stray cats to supply the fur fashion industry is a lucrative business of high priced garments. Sadly, in the absence of animal protection laws 6.5 ‚Cat fur sale network™, www.news.qq.com , accessed on 3rd Dec 2013 http://news.qq.com/a/20100812/001220_3.htm6 Cat fur sale network™, www.news.qq.com , accessed on 3rd Dec 2013 http://news.qq.com/a/20100812/001220_3.htmExamples of cat ‚blankets™. Approx 8Œ15 cat pelts are joined together. ‚Bespoke blankets™ 11
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