H&M suspends angora production over rabbit video

Swedish clothing giant H&M says it will stop making clothing with angora hair following the release of a video showing fur being plucked from live rabbits in China.

The video created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals over the summer showed hair being torn from screaming rabbits tied to wooden tables at a variety of Chinese farms.

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H&M had said its suppliers met necessary standards and that it carried out routine spot checks.

But the company changed its tune following sharp rebuke in Sweden, where other retailers have stopped producing and purchasing angora products  in the wake of the video.

"We need to check to be sure if the producers are conforming to our standards," H&M spokeswoman Camilla Emilsson Falk told AFP.

While angora clothing already in stores won't be withdrawn, H&M said it would suspend future production and offered refunds to concerned customers who had purchased the products.

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The company will revisit its decision after inspecting its suppliers in coming weeks.

China produces much of the world's angora wool.

Plucking has been advocated as the best way to get the most desirable fiber, but many farmers have said angora can be harvested by plucking in more humane ways.