First swim.© Brian Skerry/HSI

European Union Moves Toward Ban on Seal Product Trade

July 23, 2008

In 2006, Swedish Green MEP Carl Schlyter observed the Canadian commercial seal hunt with Humane Society International. Shortly thereafter, he sponsored a Written Declaration in the European Parliament, calling for an EU ban on the sale of seal fur pelts and other seal products in all (then 25, now 27) EU-member nations. The Written Declaration was passed with the endorsement of 425 Members of the European Parliament, a record level of support.

The European Commission responded with a proposal to ban most trade in seal products within the European Union, which was adopted today in a historic step forward in the campaign to end cruel commercial seal hunts. This is a major step forward, although there are many steps ahead—and Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States are guardedly optimistic that it's the beginning of an end to the cruel trade in seal products and a major blow to Canada's commercial seal hunt.  

Inherently Inhumane

Each year, hundreds of thousands of seals are killed in industrial scale hunts around the world. Canada’s commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on earth, with more than one million seals killed in the past four years alone. Veterinarians say the slaughter is inherently inhumane [PDF] because of the environmental conditions in which it operates, the speed at which it must be conducted, and the inability of authorities to monitor the killing. 
 
Official Support

European officials concerned about the issue commented on the proposal:

“The people of Europe and the European 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, U.K. Conservative MEP and President of the European Parliament's animal welfare intergroup.
 
“This announcement by the Commission is an important step towards a victory for seals across the globe,” said U.K. 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.”
 
“People across Europe have called for an end to EU trade in products from commercial seal hunts for decades,” said Danish Socialist MEP Dan Jorgensen. “This announcement is a giant step forward in realizing that goal. I'm sure that the Parliament will do everything in its power to shut our borders to these products of animal cruelty.”
 
Public Support

The Canadian seal slaughter is opposed by the overwhelming majority of Canadians, Europeans and Americans. Recent polling shows fully two-thirds of Canadians with an opinion on the matter support European nations ending their trade in seal products.

Next Steps

The adoption of this proposal is a major victory for the seals and we are closer than ever to ending this brutal hunt for good. However, the Commission has included a problematic exemption in the current draft—for products from countries that can prove their hunting methods are "humane" and that the seals did not suffer unnecessarily. Such an exemption might allow countries to improve their regulations on paper while the cruelty continues in the field unchecked.

The good news is that there is still time to act. The proposal will now be forwarded to the European Parliament, where it is possible this exemption may be removed. European citizens and their parliamentarians want a strong law—one that stops all trade in products derived from commercial seal hunts. Sign our petition to show your support for the seals.