Skip to content

The Supermarket Guide

In the early 1980s it was a boycott of Canadian seafood products by leading supermarkets that finally pushed the Canadian government to ban the killing of ‘whitecoat’ harp seals.

79% of the British public want the hunt to be banned – it’s time the supermarkets showed they support YOU. All of the leading supermarkets currently sell Canadian seafood products and are in a key position to help put a stop to the hunt. By refusing to sell Canadian seafood they can play a vital role in helping us end the seal hunt. Many of the supermarkets told us that they want to leave you, the consumer to make your own choice on what products to buy – unfortunately a lot of people unwittingly buy these products without realising their origin – so we want supermarkets to ban the sale of Canadian seafood. To buy or sell seafood from Canada is to support the very industry and people that conduct this slaughter.

Use our sample letter to write to the supermarkets to tell them why you won’t be buying Canadian fish or seafood products and why they should ban them from their stores.

Sample letter

Dear [name]

The [supermarket name] claims that it has a commitment to animal welfare. Please put this policy into practice by banning the sale of all Canadian fish and seafood products.

In the last four years the Canadian government has allowed more than a million baby seals to be brutally slaughtered by clubbing and shooting, with the majority of seals killed aged three months or younger. An independent veterinary study concluded that 42% of seals may have been skinned whilst still conscious. The Canadian government not only defends but also promotes this cruelty.

In Canada, the seal hunt is a marginal economic activity, with fishermen earning less than 5% of their annual income from sealing, the main part coming from the sale of fish and seafood products. The UK is an important customer for these products. It is the connection between commercial fisheries and the seal hunt and the economics of both industries which make a boycott of Canadian seafood products a logical step in ending the annual hunt and stopping the slaughter.

The seals are used as scapegoats for past mismanagement of fish stocks, a commercial ‘resource’ and a political football. Opinion polls show that the majority of people in Europe, US and Canada are opposed to the seal hunt and 79% of the British public want the hunt to be banned.

In the early 1980s it was a boycott of Canadian seafood products by leading supermarkets that finally pushed the Canadian government to ban the killing of ‘whitecoat’ harp seals. You are in a key position to help put a stop to the brutal Canadian seal hunt, I urge you now to make an example to the other supermarkets by immediately withdrawing from sale all Canadian fish products.

By refusing to sell Canadian seafood you can play a vital role in helping us end the seal hunt. As a consumer I would like to hear from you about what action you will be taking on this issue and when.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

The Supermarkets

The CO-OP

The Co-op prides itself on its commitment to animal welfare, stating that it ‘specifically avoids products or ingredients taken from endangered species and where species are taken from the wild.’ The Co-operative bank also has a strong ethical policy on animal welfare and will not invest in any company involved in the fur trade.

Help the Co-op to show its commitment to animals and to you as a consumer by asking it to boycott Canadian fish and seafood products:

Marks and Spencer

M&S are another retailer that prides itself on caring about animals – often mentioning that very fact in its advertising campaigns. However M&S are happy to sell seafood products that are only ‘to their knowledge’ not from fisherman involved in the seal hunt.

Ask M&S to help the seals by stopping the sale of Canadian fish and seafood products.

Asda

Asda say ‘we believe that we have a responsibility to help our customers to buy products that do not have a bad effect on our natural environment’. However it does not make it easy for you the consumer to find out what products are from Canada and does not label products with the exact nation of capture.

Ask Asda to prove its dedication to the environment by halting the sale of Canadian fish and seafood products within its stores.

Waitrose

Currently Compassion in World Farming’s Compassionate Supermarket of the Year and voted Food Retailer of the Year in the RSPCA alternative Awards, Waitrose states that it will take all reasonable steps to manage its operations so as to promote good environmental practice and will ensure its supplies reach high animal welfare standards.

Help Waitrose reinforce its welfare practices by asking it to stop the sale of Canadian fish and seafood products.

Tesco

Tesco ‘aspire to high standards of animal welfare and best practice in its supply base, using up-to-date knowledge of research, ethics, scientific facts and legislation to ensure this happens.’

Contact Tesco and ask it to show its commitment to animal welfare by boycotting Canadian fish and seafood products:

Sainsburys

Sainsbury’s state that it has a long-standing commitment to animal welfare, ask them to show this by banning the sale of Canadian fish and seafood.

Somerfield

Somerfield says it recognises it has a responsibility to identify and manage the environmental impacts associated with its products- help it fulfil this by asking Somerfield to stop the sale of Canadian fish and seafood products.

Morrisons

Morrisons claim fair and ethical trading is important. Ask it to demonstrate this by boycotting Canadian fish and seafood products.