Belgium ? The fur is flying at the European Union, which proposed a ban Monday on the sale and import of dog and cat hair.

The EU proposed the ban for all 25 member nations, saying that dog and cat fur had been falsely labeled as coming from another animal or was hidden within the products.

“Just the idea of young children playing with toys which have been made with dog and cat fur is something we cannot accept,” said Markos Kyprianou, the body’s consumer protection commissioner. “In Europe, as you know, cats and dogs are considered companion animals and nothing else.”

Fifteen EU member states already ban dog and cat fur sales. However, a December 2005 investigation by the Australian group Humane Society International showed dog and cat fur being used in products in the Czech Republic – a member of the EU since 2004.

Members of the EU parliament already have given wide, cross-party support for a ban.

A ban on dog and cat fur has been in place in the United States since 2000.