Animal welfare groups welcome Government call for urgent EU action on seal imports
8 February 2007
Respect for Animals and the Humane Society International (UK) warmly welcome the Ministerial Statement made today (Thursday 8 February) by Ian McCartney, Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, that said the UK would be pressing the European Commission to propose EU-wide measures to ban the import of harp and hooded seal products.
The Statement confirms that the Government is writing to Commissioner Dimas requesting urgent action. It also states that ‘The Government is deeply concerned about the reported cruelty during the Canadian seal hunt.’
A letter to Respect for Animals, from Defra Minister Ben Bradshaw and McCartney, states: ‘The Government has looked carefully into this issue and concluded that public morality concerns about this trade are a compelling and legitimate reason to act. The UK will therefore actively pursue an extension of the current EU ban on imports [from whitecoats, or pups under 12 days old] to all such seals irrespective of the age of the animal.’
Mark Glover, Director of Respect for Animals and HSI(UK) said today: ‘Having witnessed the seal hunt for the last two years, I can personally vouch for the cruelty and barbarity of the hunt. Today’s news is a fantastic step forward but tinged with sadness as, with this year’s hunt due to begin at the end of March, it will not spare the hundreds of thousands of pups doomed to be clubbed or shot on the ice floes. I sincerely hope that Canada wakes up to the world’s abhorrence of this carnage and brings it to an end now.’
The announcement follows a long campaign by Respect for Animals and HSI that has involved observation and filming of the seal hunt, an opinion poll that showed that 73% of British people supported a ban on seal imports, a legal opinion that demonstrated a ban was feasible and a morality report, endorsed by more than 70 leading academics from around the world, that called for an end to the hunt and for countries to ban the import of all seal products.