California Proposed Bill Would Ban the Sale of Fur Products

Definitions per the proposed Bill:

Fur: “any animal skin or part thereof with hair, fleece, or fur fibers attached thereto, either in its raw or processed state. “Fur” does not include such skins or parts thereof that are to be converted into leather, which in processing will have the hair, fleece, or fur fiber completely removed; cowhide with hair attached thereto; or lambskin or sheepskin with hair attached thereto.”

Fur product: “any article of clothing or covering for any part of the body, or any fashion accessory, including, but not limited to, handbags, shoes, slippers, hats, earmuffs, scarves, shawls, gloves, jewelry, and keychains, that is made in whole or in part of fur. “Fur product” does not include any dog or cat fur product, as defined in Section 1308 of Title 19 of the United States Code.” (Please note that under 19 CFR 1308, US Customs prohibits the importation of dog and cat fur products.)

The proposed bill states that violators would not be subject to criminal penalties, but would be subject to civil penalties/fines.

If the bill is passed, Bureau Veritas will issue an update.

NOTE: Earlier this year, the city of San Francisco, California issued an ordinance to prohibit the sale of fur products. The San Francisco law will go into effect on January 1, 2019. There will be a one-year amnesty until January 1, 2020 for retailers that can provide proof of purchase prior to March 20, 2018.

This ban does not include leather products, sheep or lamb skin products, non-apparel products, or second-hand items. A $500 penalty per item, per day could be fined for a company’s first violation.