STRASBOURG (AFP) -- The European Union moved to stamp out the trade in cat and dog fur with a ban aimed at halting a flood of hides from China.

Lawmakers at the European Parliament and the EU's German presidency backed a proposed ban on the import, export and sale of cat and dog fur, and any products using their fur from 2009. "Since the ban in the U.S. in 2000, the products are trying to get their way into the European market," British EU lawmaker Arlene McCarthy told journalists at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. While the United States, Australia and Switzerland have national bans in place, the EU is currently covered by a patchwork of varying national restrictions, which the EU-wide ban would replace. "The regulation will put a halt to the barbaric treatment of animals which is all the more needed because these types of products are not even needed," Swedish EU lawmaker Eva-Britt Svensson said. Seeking to drive home the reality of the fur trade, British euro-deputy Struan Stevenson showed a rug bought in Copenhagen made from the hides of four golden retrievers and a coat bought in Berlin made from the skins of 42 Alsatian puppies. The crackdown on dog and cat fur left Green members of parliament hopeful that it would eventually lead to a wider ban protecting other animals. "This ban on the trade in cat and dog fur sets an important precedent and should pave the way for banning the trade in products from other animals on animal welfare grounds -- notably seal products," British Green euro-deputy Caroline Lucas said. The International Fur Trade Federation, an industry association whose members already have a voluntary ban in place, also welcomed the parliament's decision. "We hope it will be positive for the legitimate fur trade and complement the voluntary ban on cat and dog furs we have been operating for the last five years," it said. After the ban, cat or dog fur will be allowed to be imported only for educational or taxidermy uses