Your cheap Russian hat with the fur trim would be labeled as real fur under legislation passed by a House panel on Thursday.
A bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va. to close a loophole in the labeling of fur products passed the Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday.
Labels that disclose the name of the species, the manufacturer, the country of origin and other information are required on fur products sold in the United States under the Fur Products Labeling Act of 1951. The law exempts products with a “relatively small quantity or value.”
“The Federal Trade Commission puts the threshold at $150—which means it’s perfectly legal for garments under $150 that contain multiple animal pelts to be sold without a label,” Moran said. “This bill would remove the small value exemption, requiring the full and accurate labeling of all fur products.”
“The Truth in Fur Labeling Act will ensure that people with allergies or ethical objections to fur products, or those who have concerns about the use of certain species for fur production, have the information they need to make educated purchasing decisions,” he said.