Fur labelling: 79% of retail outlets found in violation

The report on fur labelling inspections 2019/2020 shows that significant knowledge gaps persist in the industry. Inspections carried out by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) found violations at 79% of retail outlets. Based on the findings, the FSVO will tighten enforcement while also providing more information to retail businesses.

As in previous years, the FSVO conducted its inspections in the 2019/2020 period across small businesses and online retailers as well as large retail chains. Of the 180 inspections carried out, 142 (79%) resulted in violations. In 110 of these cases, the deficiencies were remedied within the required deadline. In 32 cases an administrative order was issued, and in 4 cases criminal proceedings were initiated.

Fur jacket collars are the most problematic

A total of 6’950 fur products were inspected during the 2019/20 period. Of these, 63% were correctly labelled. The remaining fur products were found in violation because they were either not labelled at all (15%) or incorrectly labelled (22%). The majority of products were fur jacket collars, which accounted for 55% of all non-compliant products. Most of the non-compliant products came from wild animals, such as raccoon dog, followed by arctic fox and mink products.

Inspections to be stepped up

The FSVO has been conducting inspections since 2013. The high number of violations shows that many retail outlets still fail to implement fur labelling correctly and that considerable knowledge gaps continue to exist in the industry. The FSVO will therefore intensify its awareness-raising efforts and, above all, tighten enforcement. For example, the deadline for correcting deficient labelling will be shortened. And if labelling is not correct after the deadline has passed, the FSVO will initiate legal action.

Better information for customers

The Fur Declaration Ordinance was revised on 1 April 2020. New provisions were introduced, including the requirement to clearly label products as “real fur” when they are of animal origin. This is intended to allow customers to immediately recognise whether they are dealing with faux or real fur.

The label must now contain five pieces of information: the declaration “real fur,” the zoological and scientific name of the animal species, the country of origin, and the method of acquisition (i.e. the method of breeding or trapping the animal from which the fur originates). This allows customers to make their purchasing decision with full knowledge of the facts.