Germany votes for seal import ban
15 November 2006
Members of the German government have voted unanimously for a ban on the import of seal products. The vote, taken on 19 October, is the first national vote since a record number of Members of the European Parliament signed a Written Declaration in September calling for a EU wide trade ban on seal imports.
The German parliament motion calls for the government to work towards a European ban and to introduce a temporary ban in Germany until the EU ban is passed.
German Green Party politican Bärbel Höhn, who campaigned for the ban, visited Canada earlier this year to witness the seal hunts.
National bans currently exist in the USA, Mexico, Croatia and Italy. Bans in Belgium and the Netherlands are soon to be adopted.