The European Union moved Monday to ban the trade in dog and cat fur amid growing evidence that imports are illegally making their way onto European markets, notably from China.

The EU's executive arm, the European Commission, said that it had drawn up a proposal to ban imports, exports and sales of the fur which would harmonise legislation already introduced by some of the 26 member countries.

The move has come in response to widespread public criticism of the trade.

"The message that we have received from EU consumers has been loud and clear," said Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.

"They do not find it acceptable to farm cats and dogs for their fur, nor do they want products containing such fur sold on the European market," he said in a statement.

"The EU ban we are proposing today will mean that consumers can rest assured that they are not inadvertently buying products containing cat or dog fur."

The Commission named China as the main country for rearing cats and dogs for their fur, and that the pelts were arriving in Europe undeclared or disguised as synthetic or other types of fur.

Kyprianou said he had no proof such practices were happening inside the EU.

The proposal must now go to the European Parliament and EU member countries for adoption.