Recently, a member of the Fly Fishing internet forum contacted us here at Troutflies UK, after a forum thread in which members had raised concerns about the possibility of inhumane treatment of animals being used to supply fur/feather for fly tying. The Chinese fur trade in particular was noted as having a reputation for being particularly inhumane (you can read the original forum thread here).
The member asked us if we could advise him:
- which (if any) of our flies are made in China
- which (if any) of our flies are made using fur/hair sourced from the Chinese fur trade and
- finally, whether any of the fly tying materials we sell are sourced from the Chinese fur trade
We replied to the gentleman in question, but we thought it would be a good idea to make clear about our sources, as we know that inhumane treatment of animals is a very real matter of concern for a number of flyfishermen and our customers.
Absolutely none of our flies are made in China.
The only imports we stock from China are our fly boxes, which are made by the same firm as Snowbie Boxes.
Most of the materials used in general fly tying now are synthetic, although traditional tyers like to use real feathers. The feather and fur used in products on our site is all a product of Veniard’s and they hold the vet certificates. Being as they are one of the top names in fly tying we are certain they would never associate themselves with stock that may be the result of inhumane treatment of animals.
Please feel assured we would never, ever buy our flies from China. We hope this sets everyone’s minds at rest!