Origin Assured status for karakul pelts

THE Namibian Swakara brand for karakul pelts has received internationally recognised status for being a sustainable and natural product, the Namibia Karakul Board announced last week.

The Karakul Board sent an official application to the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) to become part of the “origin assured” (OA) approved list of countries and species. The IFTF board approved OA status for Namibia at their recent meeting and welcomed Namibia as new member and congratulated the Karakul Board and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry on what has been achieved to meet the qualifications to get OA status.The karakul industry of Namibia is thus committed to responsible and humane treatment of karakul sheep to ensure that Swakara is produced sustainably as a natural product.”The OA label assures consumers that the fur or fur product they are buying originates from a country where national legislation and regulations regarding standards governing fur production are in force.The standard is based on the international animal welfare guidelines,” the Karakul Board said in a statement.OA qualified fur is identified and annotated by the different international fur auction houses.The associated OA tags are made available to buyers of OA goods at the auctions and after moving through processing and manufacturing the fur products will carry the OA label, which certifies that the product is fully compliant.The IFTF recently collaborated with the four major international fur auction houses, American Legend, Finnish Fur Sales, Copenhagen Fur and North American Fur Auctions, to introduce a new fur labelling programme, the Origin Assured label, improving transparency through the fur industry’s supply chain.In 2006, the Namibian karakul industry, which started in 1907, introduced a code of practice for the care and handling of karakul sheep, which was accepted by karakul farmers at the Producers Forum meeting in September 2006.In August 2007, Cabinet approved the Namibian Code of Practice and directed the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to instruct the Karakul Board of Namibia, in terms of the Pelt and Wool Act of 1982, to implement the Code of Practice.The Ministry’s Directorate of Veterinary Services is responsible for monitoring that implementation takes place in accordance with Cabinet’s instructions.The IFTF board approved OA status for Namibia at their recent meeting and welcomed Namibia as new member and congratulated the Karakul Board and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry on what has been achieved to meet the qualifications to get OA status.The karakul industry of Namibia is thus committed to responsible and humane treatment of karakul sheep to ensure that Swakara is produced sustainably as a natural product.”The OA label assures consumers that the fur or fur product they are buying originates from a country where national legislation and regulations regarding standards governing fur production are in force.The standard is based on the international animal welfare guidelines,” the Karakul Board said in a statement.OA qualified fur is identified and annotated by the different international fur auction houses.The associated OA tags are made available to buyers of OA goods at the auctions and after moving through processing and manufacturing the fur products will carry the OA label, which certifies that the product is fully compliant.The IFTF recently collaborated with the four major international fur auction houses, American Legend, Finnish Fur Sales, Copenhagen Fur and North American Fur Auctions, to introduce a new fur labelling programme, the Origin Assured label, improving transparency through the fur industry’s supply chain.In 2006, the Namibian karakul industry, which started in 1907, introduced a code of practice for the care and handling of karakul sheep, which was accepted by karakul farmers at the Producers Forum meeting in September 2006.In August 2007, Cabinet approved the Namibian Code of Practice and directed the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to instruct the Karakul Board of Namibia, in terms of the Pelt and Wool Act of 1982, to implement the Code of Practice.The Ministry’s Directorate of Veterinary Services is responsible for monitoring that implementation takes place in accordance with Cabinet’s instructions.