EU to propose ban on imports of seal products
Posted on April 14, 2008 - Filed Under Charity, HSUS, Nigel Barker Today
FROM REUTERS:
EXCLUSIVE-EU to propose ban on imports of seal products
Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:45am EDT
By Gerard Wynn
BRDO, Slovenia, April 13 (Reuters) – The EU’s environment chief Stavros
Dimas will propose to ban imports of all seal products resulting from
culls where animals suffer, he told Reuters, setting up a possible trade
conflict with Canada.
Belgium and the Netherlands last year banned imports of seal products on
their own, prompting Canada to launch a trade dispute with the EU as a
whole in September. Both bans were the result of concern about cruel
hunts.
“We will propose a ban of seal fur imports if (a country) can’t prove
they were obtained in a humane way,” Dimas said late on Saturday on the
fringes of an April 11-12 informal meeting of environment ministers in
Slovenia.
When asked on the timing of a ban he said — “It takes some time.” The
plan would need the backing of the rest of the EU’s executive
Commission, and would apply to all seal products including furs, skins
and health products including vitamins.
Dimas declined to comment on what constituted inhumane killing, saying
he personsally disliked any hunting, and instead referred to an
EU-commissioned report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
published in December.
The EFSA report recommended that animals were killed quickly, checked
that they were dead and bled before skinning, and that monitoring
procedures were in place.
At issue is how quickly the animals die, for example whether they end up
being skinned alive.
Clubs or metal spikes attached to a wooden handle — called a hakapik –
are only sure to kill young seals quickly if used correctly, while
adults had to be shot, the EFSA report said.
It concluded — “Many seals can be, and are, killed rapidly and
effectively. (But) it is not always carried out effectively and this
will lead to seals feeling the skinning.”
Dimas’s decision followed a record European Parliament vote last year
backing a ban, he said. “The European Parliament passed a resolution
with the greatest majority ever.”
“I’m very much concerned at the way the hunt is conducted,” he said,
referring to the cruelty of some trapping practices. Animals can be
trapped and drowned underwater, the EFSA said.
Some European Parliament members last month renewed their calls for the
EU to act decisively. The largest Canadian cull is of some 275,000 harp
seals from mid-March to mid-May.
Dimas complained about Canadian treatment of a European Commission
expert team that tried to observe the hunt last year.
“They weren’t able to do what they wanted to do. The Canadian local
authorities were not very cooperative.”
The EU already bars imports of furs from white-coated pups just days
old, and Canada bans culling of such newborn seals.
Canada has argued at the World Trade Organisation there is no basis in
science or international trade law to justify bans on the import of seal
products, which provide an important source of income for many people in
eastern Canada.
The EU would ensure that any ban didn’t impact traditional hunting by
the indigenous Inuit people, Dimas said.
Around 750,000 seals of at least fifteen species are killed and skinned
for commercial purposes each year with Canada, Greenland and Namibia
accounting for approximately 60 percent of all seals killed in 2006, the
EFSA report said. (Editing by Matthew Jones)
(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution
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Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and
trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Patricia H. Ragan
Director, The ProtectSeals Campaign
The Humane Society of the United States
Comments
9 Responses to “EU to propose ban on imports of seal products”
Leave a Reply
Wonderful news! This has made my day! I really hope there won’t be any seal hunts soon…
)
Thank you so much for using your celebrity in such a positive way by taking a stand to end this barbaric practice.
I am buying a t-shirt and linking to your site. Small measure but together we can make a difference.
Best,
Rosemond
Nigel,
Thank you for being involved in helping to stop the horrendous seal hunting. I’ve been supporting this effort for the last 6 years and it is so heart breaking that there is yet another season of killing.
Thank you so much for your involvement in caring for the seals.
I’d like to purchase your unisex T-shirts but I don’t understand the sizing chart at all. I’m not a big person, but my chest measures more than 18″ from under my arm pits and I don’t want a shirt that is so long it could be a nighty! Something is wrong with the measurment chart. Could you please fix it or tell me if I’m not reading it right or something?
Thank you, Chris Brelin
I just want to say thank you for being pretty much the only celebrity I have seen get involved with something as atrocious as what is happening to the seals.
I am doing all I can to make people aware of what is going on and hopefully it will make a difference.
Again thank you so much.
Much love and respect,
Nia
I receive email updates from the Humane Society and the latest update had a picture of you in your seal t-shirt. I found your blog while looking for a way to say thank you. I second Rosemond’s comment: thank you so much for using your position to effect positive change!
This is the best news I’ve heard all day.
Thank you Nigel for being so dedicated in saving the seals.I’m still praying for a miracle.
God Bless!
Warmest regards,
Nigel,
Thank you for being a human being of the highest caliber by using your influence to change inhumane practices.
I really want all this seal clubbing to stop permanently and I believe your influence is going a long way to make this happen.
I am continually suprised at how few people actually care about what is happening in the world around us, I am thrilled to see that you’re doing so much to help so many different causes. No matter how small you start out, as long as you’re working for the greater good you’re doing SOMETHING and that’s all that matters.
Take care.
Nigel
Thank you so much for going out on the ice to document the yearly horror that goes on in my country of Canada. The more people who are in a position to document this slaughter maybe the faster we can get it to end. The photos speak volumes as to these inhumane acts. Every year I pray for it to end. Once again thank you for all your efforts. Adrian