Feathers: a guide to responsible purchasing
The feather is a natural element, derived from the animal world, protected by restrictions and rules that are important to understand.
We then propose to remind you, or if necessary, to introduce you to the tools that will enable you to make your feather purchases in perfect accordance with the regulations in force in your area of activity, import, and export. Yes, the trade in feathers is very controlled, and even if the feathers are from natural moulting, from your own birds, or from a sanctuary that collects them, there are rules to follow.
What tools and documents to consult for responsible feather purchasing?
You can rely on documents provided by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), a convention that governs the movement of living specimens of animals and plants, with the aim to safeguard and protect them.
CITES consists of 3 Appendices (I, II, III or A, B, C). While the restrictions issued by CITES must be respected, each country is free to impose additional ones to safeguard certain specimens that are dear to them. For example, the Peacock, an emblematic animal of India, is highly protected in its country, and simply having one in captivity is considered a serious fault, punishable by law.
So, how do you find your way around? First, we provide you below with the PDF file of the 2020 edition of CITES, the most recent we found at the time of publishing this article. This document will help you understand the objectives of CITES, the means at its disposal, and how it operates. Also, a list of major plant and animal categories and families, divided into the various Appendices.
CITES PDF version, appendices I, II, III: HERE CITES PDF.
Given the enormous number of birds, and the variable component of restrictions depending on geographical areas, we provide you with the ideal tool! Here is Species+, an interactive and up-to-date guide that will allow you, in a simple manner, to know whether or not you can acquire, sell, transport, import, and export the type of feathers you are interested in.
The perfect guide for responsible feather purchasing is here: SPECIES+.
Conclusion and acknowledgements
We hope this article has been useful to you and will allow you to make your purchases with peace of mind and knowledge of the facts. These documents are not the first to come to hand when buying or selling our first feathers, or feather creations. We ourselves made mistakes during our first purchases and sales. We would like to sincerely thank Benjamin, from the French Ministry of the Environment's Customs Service, for his help and the clarifications he has given us, which we pass on to you.
