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Fur traders continue to fail to comply with the obligation to declare. However, the authorities consider more controls to be pointless.
For years, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) has been complaining that retailers are poorly complying with the duty to declare fur products. In some cases, there were complaints at up to 80 percent of the sales outlets checked. Last October, the BLV therefore announced that it wanted to tighten controls and sanctions.
As of this year, criminal proceedings are automatically initiated if defects are found at a retailer. So far, retailers have had the opportunity to rectify defects before a complaint was filed against them.
Still many complaints
In the 2022/23 control season, more criminal proceedings have been initiated than in previous years. The BLV carried out a little over 100 checks last season. That’s a little less than in previous years.
Exact figures for the complaints are not available, but it can already be said that the dealers are not complying with the declaration obligation this year either, says Sarah Camenisch from the BLV, and: “One can assume that more controls will not lead to a change will lead.”
Legend:
Anyone who sells furs or fur products in Switzerland must declare them precisely.
Keystone/ ALESSANDRO DELLA BELLA
In fact, Switzerland already has strict declaration rules in international comparison. It was introduced in response to a political initiative in 2014 and tightened again in 2020. Since then, the animal species, the Latin name of the animal species, the place of origin and the method of production must be specified for real fur.
Lack of transparency in online shops
Despite all the strict rules: Switzerland still imports an estimated 350 tons of fur every year. However, the Swiss Fur Association does not consider these statistics to be useful. The entire product is weighed, even if only a small part is made of real fur, says Thomas Aus der Au from SwissFur.
The specialist trade is not significant compared to the entire clothing industry. In addition, there were no complaints at all in the specialist shops that are affiliated with SwissFur in the 20/21 season.
But furs are no longer just a luxury product, says Julias Zhorzel from the animal protection organization Peta Switzerland. It is also unclear how many fur products are sold online: “Similar to other clothing sectors, it can be assumed that many products are sold online.”
Controlling all online shops is simply not possible and not required by law.
But online shops in particular are hardly checked by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office. Only about 10 of the approximately 100 checks were carried out in online shops last season. Sarah Camenisch from BLV says there are an incredible number of online shops, “to control them all is simply not possible and not required by law.” Zalando Switzerland, the largest online retailer in the clothing sector, says on request that their business partners are not allowed to sell real fur products via Zalando according to the guidelines.
Missing data, especially in online trading and controls that don’t work: The Federal Council also sees a need for action and is currently examining a complete ban on the import of furs from torture. The Interior Department must prepare a template for this by March 2024.