European seal trade ban reaches critical stage as UK says ‘ban imports’
29 December 2008
But Canada is fighting back and a ban is not certain. UK Members of the
European Parliament (MEPs) are set to play key roles in the next few weeks.
25 years on since the EU last acted, in 1983, to ban the trade in baby seal (whitecoat
and blueback) fur more than 4 million seal pups have been killed in Canada alone.
Following a Written Declaration in 2006, signed by a record number of MEPs that
called for a seal product import and trade ban, draft legislation proposed by
the European Commission now faces scrutiny and revision by the European Parliament
and governments.
A new UK based opinion poll shows that 72% of respondents agree that the European
Union should ban the import and trade in seal products.
Mark Glover, director, Respect for Animals, said today: “This is a crucial time
for the seals. Now is the time for European politicians to act decisively,
to finally put an end to the cruel commercial trade that is responsible for the
deaths of hundreds of thousands of seal pups every year, the vast majority less
than three months old.
“This opinion poll shows that a ban on imports is widely supported in the UK. People
in the UK and the rest of Europe have consistently voiced their concerns about
the cruelty of seal hunts. We are pleased the UK government is committed to a
complete ban and sincerely hope that all UK MEPs will support a full ban with
no loopholes. They have an historic opportunity now to bring to an end a 50 year
campaign with dignity to all concerned.”