MEPs welcome EU ban on seal products

The European commission has unveiled proposals for a ban on the “cruel” trade of seal products into and from the EU.

Environment commissioner Stavros Dimas outlined the proposal for a regulation banning the trade at a news conference on Wednesday.

Dimas said action was necessary to ensure that the trade in products made from seals subject to “distress, pain and suffering” do not find their way on the European market.

“Seal products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must not be allowed to enter the EU,” said the Greek official.

The regulation still has to be backed by member states and parliament before it comes into force, but Dimas said he was confident that approval would be forthcoming.

Trade in seal products would be allowed only where guarantees can be provided that hunting techniques “consistent with high animal welfare standards” were used, he said.

Dimas said that, globally, up to 900,000 seals are killed each year and that the EU accounts for about one third of the trade in the resulting seal products.

He dismissed suggestions that such a ban will adversely affect the livelihoods of hunters in places like Canada and Greenland.

The plan was welcomed by the Humane Society International (HSI).

“This announcement is a historic step forward in the campaign to end cruel commercial seal hunts,” said Mark Glover, director of Humane Society International/UK.

“European citizens demand a total ban on seal product trade. It is essential that the EU ends its trade in all products derived from commercial seal hunts.”

MEPs who have campaigned for EU action on the issue also greeted the news.

"The people of Europe and parliament will accept nothing less than a total ban. We intend to close our borders to seal products completely to ensure the EU plays no role in perpetuating the cruelty of commercial seal hunts," said Neil Parish, UK Conservative MEP and president of parliament's animal welfare intergroup.

"This announcement by the commission is an important step towards a victory for seals across the globe,” said UK Green MEP Caroline Lucas. “At the parliamentary level, it will be crucial for MEPs to close the loopholes, and strengthen the proposal to ensure that all trade in products derived from commercial seal hunting is ended for once and for all."

Lesley O’Donnell, from the Brussels office of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) told theparliament.com.that, “the commission’s proposal is a vital step towards ending the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world.”

“It shows that the commission has understood the importance of animal welfare for European citizens.”

However, O’Donnell highlighted that the proposed ban allows exemptions for seal products obtained from commercial hunts which meet certain criteria for killing seals.

“We are very concerned about this loophole,” added O’Donnell. “Only a complete ban can prevent products from these large-scale and inherently cruel hunts from entering the European markets.”

“The harsh and unpredictable hunting conditions make it impossible to properly monitor or enforce so-called humane killing methods.”

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