Laboratory testing reveals real animal fur in products marketed as fake

Laboratory testing of seven fluffy toys and key rings sold by online retailers and at stalls in markets in NSW has found every product contained real animal fur despite some being marketed as fake fur.

The testing identified rabbit and fox fur and in one case, dog fur, imports of which have been banned in Australia for decades.

In most cases the fur had been dyed, making it difficult for consumers to recognise it was real animal fur, particularly where some products were advertised as fake fur and did not have a label identifying the material.

One key ring sold to look like an animal tail, sold online for $2.61 and described as a "tail bag pendant" made with "soft fake fur", was consistent with real dog hair.

The online retailer, based in Hangzhou, China, describes itself as a leading wholesale platform for fashion jewellery, accessories and clothing.

The findings come as Four Corners continues to investigate whether consumers can trust the products they buy, following its Duped investigation into food fraud, misleading labels and hidden supply chains.

Animal welfare organisation Four Paws commissioned UK-based lab Microtex Analysis to carry out the testing.

"There is a proliferation of these types of cheap products online and I believe most consumers would believe these to be faux fur given the cost and look," said Louise Ward, the programs lead for Four Paws.

"What makes these results so concerning is that we're not talking about luxury fur coats. We're talking about cheap children's toys, fluffy key rings and small trinkets that no reasonable consumer would expect to contain real animal fur," Ms Ward said.

"Consumers have a right to know what they're buying, and right now our laws and regulations are letting consumers down."

Microtex tested the products using microscopy analysis, which identifies animal species by examining the microscopic characteristics of individual hairs. It found all seven had real dog, fox or rabbit fur in them.

"I am wholly certain that the furs are animal fibre. I have been doing these identifications for over 50 years," Microtex Analysis principal Phil Greaves said.

A pink toy rabbit, resembling a small teddy and selling for $10 at a market in Sydney, was found to contain hair consistent with real rabbit fur.

A yellow fluffy toy priced at $16 was also found to contain hair consistent with rabbit fur.

A leather kangaroo key ring, with a fluffy pom-pom, selling for $8, was found to contain hair consistent with fox fur.

Some of the products, including the kangaroo key ring, were sold with tags marked "I [heart] Ugg Australia".

Contacted by the ABC, Australian sheepskin tannery and Ugg boot maker Ugg Australia said the toys and key rings were not its products.

"Ugg Australia is our brand and trademark, built on 45 years of sourcing and tanning our own raw materials in Australia," Ugg Australia CEO Lena Fishman said.

"Offshore goods with mislabeled materials and often missing country-of-origin information are trading on that name."

"It doesn't stop at misleading Australian shoppers. Because these products carry Australian branding, they're often resold internationally as if they were genuinely Australian-made, trading on a reputation built by real Australian manufacturers and farmers."

It is unknown where the products were made because most of them did not have a label.

The ABC was unable to contact the manufacturers.

But Ms Ward said China was the most likely source because it dominated the global fur trade.

Dr Greaves said he had not expected to find fibres consistent with real dog hair in the key ring, but he had seen it before in similar products such as "items with 'fur' trims, the hood of a coat, decoration on shoes and a key ring novelty".

NSW Fair Trading said in a statement it was assessing the information to determine whether compliance or enforcement action was warranted.

It said traders who misrepresented products may be in breach of Australian Consumer Law and face significant penalties, while noting that the import ban on dog and cat fur products was enforced by the Australian Border Force.

In a statement, Australian Border Force said it actively enforced the prohibition using intelligence-led border checks and had seized 15 consignments of suspected prohibited cat or dog fur products since the ban was introduced in 2004.

The agency said it continued to work with partner agencies to detect and prevent prohibited animal fur from entering Australia.

Four Paws said a lack of enforcement was allowing these products to be sold to consumers.

"It's consumer deception," Ms Ward said.

"Toys are not covered by mandatory labelling laws under Australian Consumer Law."

There is no prohibition on rabbit or fox fur being sold in Australia.