Overview

• Forensic analysis by British firm Microtex found domestic cat and rabbit fur in a Suttons UGG vest labeled as “100 percent Australian sheepskin or wool.”
• Laboratory tests on two beanies from Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market uncovered fox and raccoon dog fur concealed beneath acrylic labeling.
• Australian Border Force records show no seizures of cat or dog fur since the 2004 import ban, while a 2020 Consumer Affairs Victoria probe found every examined fur product was mislabeled.
• Suttons UGG admitted its vest label was “wrong” and said the manufacturer described the material as a “kind of special fur” that could not be fully verified.
• Animal welfare advocates and Animal Justice Party MPs are pushing for a statewide sale ban on animal fur in Victoria, citing recent prohibitions in Switzerland and proposed UK legislation.