Last Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, President Obama signed the “Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2010.” This legislation, introduced by Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, passed in the House this summer, and passed by unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate “lame duck” session on Dec. 10, closes the long-time loophole that allowed animal fur garments and fur-trimmed garments priced below $150 to be unlabeled. Fashion fur garments and trims sourced from Asia have long relied on fur from domestic dogs, cats, and raccoon dogs, among other animals, and many have been intentionally mislabeled as exotic furs.

Garment fur trims from national retailers that may have been advertised as “faux” were sometimes found to be real fur. Do you have faux fur trim on your coat or gloves? Take a close look at the base of the hairs. If you don’t see woven fabric, that’s a bad sign. Take a look at the tip of the hairs. If hairs taper naturally to tip, instead of a clipped tip, that’s another sign that an animal was killed to trim your garment.

The Asian fur and skin trade is losing an important market for their products with this new law in place in the United States. Fewer dogs, cats, rabbits, raccoon dogs, and the many exotic fur-bearing animals, will be inhumanely farmed and violently killed for fashion. Thank you lawmakers, all of you, for your hard work to improve America for consumers and animal lovers. This law has long been needed!

What’s the ultimate goal? To outlaw fur use for fashion completely around the world. With the excellent faux fur products available, why would anyone desire real fur that is obtained through torture and death of sentient beings?