Chinese animal rights activists on Tuesday welcomed a proposal by the European Union to ban imports of cat and dog fur, saying it would help pressure the government to enact better legal protections for animals.

The European Union proposed the ban Monday on the sale and import of dog and cat fur in all 25 member nations. Markos Kyprianou, the European Commission's consumer protection commissioner, said cats and dogs were being kept in cages and slaughtered in cruel and shocking conditions for their fur.

Campaigners say millions of animals are bred for their fur _ mostly in China and other Asian nations.

"I think it (the proposal) will help, it's a very important signal to the Chinese government and there's no way they can't notice it," said Zhang Dan, a Beijing-based journalist who is vice chairman for the China Small Animal Protection Association.

"Many animal rights volunteers in China are trying to spread the news of what's happening here and I hope people in the West will notice too," she said.

Zhang and other rights activists say Chinese merchants beat the cats and dogs to death and even flay them alive for their skins.

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