A total ban on the trade in dog and cat fur comes into force across Europe on Thursday - just as fur fashion is staging a revival.
The man who has campaigned for the ban for nine years, Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, welcomed a move he said would save the lives of millions of animals slaughtered every year in Asia - mostly in China - to serve a European market.
But he warned it was now up to importers and retailers to stay vigilant against a "vile" trade in which cats and dogs are rounded up and often skinned alive.
Mr Stevenson said: "The ban comes just in time as I understand there is something of a revival in fur in the fashion world. The onus is now on retailers and others to ensure that such demand doesn't encourage unscrupulous fur dealers to search for ways to break the law. We all need to remain vigilant if we see suspect fur in this country and ask questions as to its origin."
Humane Society International, supported by Mr Stevenson, first exposed the trade nearly a decade ago, revealing evidence of a thriving cat and dog fur market in many European countries including France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
The Scottish MEP took up the issue in the European Parliament, receiving high-profile backing from Heather Mills and her former husband Sir Paul McCartney, and rock star Rick Wakeman.
Heather Mills collected more than 250,000 signatures in an on-line petition on her web page demanding an EU ban. And in 2004 Dennis Erdman, the director of television show Sex And The City, persuaded Hollywood celebrities to write to the European Commission supporting a ban.
Formal European Commission proposals for the ban were endorsed by EU governments at the end of 2006.
The resulting law prohibits all EU imports and exports, or any trade in cat and dog fur, in the 27 EU countries from the start of 2009, although five EU countries have already unilaterally banned the trade - Italy, Denmark, France, Belgium and Greece.
The EU-wide ban follows similar legislation in America and Australia. But China continues trading cat and dog fur, with a thriving market in Russia. Mr Stevenson said: "I urge the Chinese authorities to ban this trade and in particular to close down the export of cat and dog skins to Russia."
