Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 4.djvu/102

 114 STAT. 2164 PUBLIC LAW 106-476—NOV. 9, 2000 (6) The methods of housing, transporting, and slaughtering dogs and cats for fur production are generally unregulated and inhumane. (7) The trade of dog and cat fur products is ethically and aesthetically abhorrent to United States citizens. Consumers in the United States have a right to know if products offered for sale contain dog or cat fur and to ensure that they are not unwitting participants in this gruesome trade. (8) Persons who engage in the sale of dog or cat fur products, including the fraudulent trade practices identified above, gain an unfair competitive adveuitage over persons who engage in legitimate trade in apparel, toys, and other products, and derive an unfair benefit from consumers who buy their products. (9) The imposition of a ban on the sale, manufacture, offer for sale, transportation, and distribution of dog and cat fur products, regardless of their source, is consistent with the international obligations of the United States because it applies equally to domestic and foreign producers and avoids any discrimination among foreign sources of competing products. Such a ban is also consistent with provisions of international agreements to which the United States is a party that expressly allow for measures designed to protect the health and welfare of animals and to enjoin the use of deceptive trade practices in international or domestic commerce. (b) PURPOSES. —The purposes of this chapter are to— (1) prohibit imports, exports, sale, manufacture, offer for sale, transportation, and distribution in the United States of dog and cat fur products, in order to ensure that United States market demand does not provide an incentive to slaughter dogs or cats for their fur; (2) require accurate labeling of fur species so that consumers in the United States can make informed choices and ensure that they are not unwitting contributors to this gruesome trade; and (3) ensure that the customs laws of the United States are not undermined by illicit international traffic in dog and cat fur products. SEC. 1443. PROHIBITION ON IMPORTATION OF PRODUCTS MADE WITH DOG OR CAT FUR. (a) IN GENERAL.— Title III of the Tariff Act of 1930 is amended by inserting after section 307 the following new section: 19 USC 1308. "SEC. 308. PROHIBITION ON IMPORTATION OF DOG AND CAT FUR PRODUCTS. "(a) DEFINITIONS. —In this section: "(1) CAT FUR. —The term 'cat fiir' means the pelt or skin of any animal of the species Felis catus. "(2) INTERSTATE COMMERCE.—The term 'interstate commerce' means the transportation for sale, trade, or use between any State, territory, or possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and any place outside thereof. "(3) CUSTOMS LAWS.—The term 'customs laws of the United States' means any other law or regulation enforced or administered by the United States Customs Service. "(4) DESIGNATED AUTHORITY. —The term 'designated authority means the Secretary of the Treasury, with respect to the prohibitions under subsection (b)(1)(A), and the President

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