POLITICIANS stood up for animals by campaigning against the trading of cat and dog skins yesterday.

Diana Wallis, Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, was joined by Fiona Hall, North-East Lib Dem European Parliamentary spokeswoman, in highlighting the issue at Palace Green, Durham City.

While it is an offence to sell products made with dog and cat fur under misleading names, it is legal in the UK to openly import and sell them.

More than two million cats and dogs are killed in the Far East each year, many of the skins ending up as hats, coats, and children's toys in European shops.

Ms Wallis believes that shoppers may unwittingly be encouraging the trade by buying fur-trimmed gloves or cuddly toys.

She has called for the European Union to follow the US lead in banning cat and dog fur products.

"The need to maintain the quality of the fur means that the killing of these animals is extremely cruel, and a European approach to this situation must be the way forward," she said.

Ms Hall said: "The European Commission is dragging its feet on this. Lack of proper labelling means that a massive consumer fraud is taking place, and the commission has grounds to intervene on this basis."