Ministers in the UK and Australia on Monday pledged to ban the import of apparel made from cat or dog fur amid widespread outrage from animal rights groups and consumers.

Britain's Trade Minister, Mike O'Brien, has asked animal welfare groups to provide him with more evidence of the practice so tough new regulations similar to those in the US and Italy can be drawn up.

"I am prepared to support a ban on the import of domestic cat and dog fur if substantive evidence can be provided that these furs are entering the country and provided we can get a test which can show that a product contains domestic cat or dog fur," he said.

"I am sympathetic on the ethics but need clear evidence of the size of the problem in order to act. Most British people would find these products abhorrent. I am setting a timetable of six months for interested parties to produce supporting evidence."

Similar steps are also set to be taken in Australia after The Humane Society International (HSI) found coats made using dog hair in Sydney stores.

Animal welfare campaigners claim around two million cats and dogs are killed every year for their fur, with the worst offenders being China, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines.

Australia's Customs service said: "The four ministers whose portfolios are touched by the issue are currently preparing an options paper with a view to presenting the most effective means of stopping the import of cat and dog fur."