Chiff and Fipple Forums

PB+J wrote:Agricultural products not foodstuffs would probably include cotton and linen as well as natural dyes, like indigo, and seed oils not intended for consumption, like flax for linseed oil. Presumably wool might be classed as an agricultural product.

Yes, of course. D'oh!

The one place that USA laws are strict and clear is the labelling of garments.

Being that I play Highland pipes I have to purchase the various clothing items that constitute the piping outfit, and it's maddening to see the vagueness and downright deception seen in the labelling of those items being sold in Scotland.

For one thing, legitimate UK makers often don't label their products as such.

Vast amounts of tat Highland clothing made in Pakistan is being sold by Scottish-based firms. Some of this clothing has no labels, some is labelled with the firm name "So-and-So, Scotland" which says nothing about where it was made.

Some Pakistani clothing has labels saying "Designed in Scotland".

Occasionally things have ended up in the courts, such as the Pakistani firm which was weaving knockoff Princess Diana Memorial tartan and selling it for their own profit (it was protected and the proceeds went to her charity).

And you often don't know the fabric content of kilts and Highland jackets. Yes the UK makers usually have a label stating "100% Pure New Wool" but often UK-made woolen items lack these. The Pakistani clothing often says nothing or has head-scratching things like "Acrylic Wool".

None of this would fly in the USA where every garment by law must carry a label stating the country of origin and fabric content.

About musical instruments I don't know if there are any labelling laws.

Just a little update. Lír-whistles have contacted me and offered to repair the whistle for free, even though it was my own fault that it is broken. A nice move IMO. They also stated that the whistle is not "made in China". So, I think as soon as they sort out the minor issues, they really got a nice whistle to offer. I might even get another one just to see how the un-plated version is. But at the moment I hardly play any of my whistles. I stick to the flute for now.