A fur cry

THE European Commission (EC) has postponed the ban on importing furs of animals to the end of 1996. This one-year delay was chosen over the option of imposing the ban immediately on limited species only. According to officials, it was a question of implementing legislation with limited effect or with long term consequences.

European Union (EU) faced sustained lobbying against the ban from trappers in Canada, Russia and us. They claimed that aborigines will be hard hit once the ban is implemented. It would also affect 1,70,000 EU citizens worng in the fur industry. A group of aborigine trappers accused Eu of committing "Cultural genocide" by enforcing the ban. They also alleged that no consultation was done before reaching the decision.

Deferment of the ban has angered some deputies in the European Parliament. They have started writing fiery letters to all Commissioners, demanding the ban to be enforced from January 1996. British socialist deputy, Ken Collins, has stated that EC was not complying with EU'S laws, though it was bound to.