European Union bans trade in seal products

print this

The European Union has made a decision on a total trade and import ban on products from seals, including pelts, meat, and oil.
     
The European Parliament voted to ban the sale of seal products yesterday - Tuesday. The vote was based on a compromise reached among the member-states two weeks ago.
      The great majority of the European Parliament backed the ban.
      The proposed ban is primarily focused on the cruel practices used to kill seal pups in Canada. The Canadian hunters club the pups to death, as shooting would damage the pelt.
     
However, as many as half of the clubbed seal pups manage to escape, only to drown later on.
      The European Union would allow two exceptions to the proposed ban on the sale of seal products.
      Canada’s Inuits and other indigenous communities would be allowed to continue the trade in seal products, when such products result from hunts traditionally conducted by these communities.
     
Furthermore, the sale of seal products would be allowed within the EU if the culling is conducted for the purpose of the sustainable management of marine resources.
      This exception mainly applies to Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. However, any trading in seal products would be allowed only on a non-profit basis.
      The annual number of seals caught in the Finnish waters is some 500, and the meat and pelts of the seals are mostly used by the fishermen and their families.
      For the time being, it is uncertain how the ban on profits is to be overseen.
      In any case, the trade in seal products has never been significant in Finland.
      The import of seal products will also be allowed in the future when it consists of goods for the personal use of travellers or their families.


Links:
  European Parliament press release 5.5.2009

Helsingin Sanomat