H&M bans angora after PETA campaign

Animal welfare activists have been fighting to ban angora

from designer's collections and H&M is the latest retailer to ban the fabric from its stores.

PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals charity, has released a video of fur being plucked from live angora rabbits in China. The disturbing footage meant several companies have announced a ban in response to the campaign.

"We are halting production" of angora products, said H&M spokeswoman Camilla Emilsson Falk. "We need to check to be sure if the producers are conforming to our standards."

PETA’s video, which has shocked both industry insiders and consumers, showed workers at farms in China tearing off clumps of fur by hand while the animals screamed in pain. PETA said the animals are plucked every few months for up to five years.

China produces 90 percent of the world’s angora hair and a number of companies banning its use have said they will resume production of angora products only when the supply chain can be shown to have improved standards of animal welfare.