[LINK] "EU moves closer to ban on seal products"

[rfmcdonald]

From The Globe and Mail comes Oliver Moore's "EU moves closer to ban on seal products".

A European Union proposal restricting the trade of seal products would put the onus on other countries to prove that no seals were caused "avoidable pain, distress and any other form of suffering."

Wording of the proposed ban, which must still be approved by EU member countries, was finalized and released Wednesday.

"Seal products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must not be allowed to enter the EU," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told a news conference in Brussels, his comments circulated in a statement.

"The EU is committed to upholding high standards of animal welfare."

The wording of the ban makes an exception for Inuit seal hunters, noting that "their subsistence should not be adversely affected. The hunt is an integrated part of the culture and the identity of the members of the Inuit society."


[. . .]

The majority of the seals killed by Canadians are shot off northern Newfoundland. But it is the clubbing of seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, often using a spiked club known as a hakapik, that has raised the most ire of animal rights activists. Several premiers have suggested banning the hakapik, an acknowledgement of its emotive power.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Dimas made clear recently to The Globe that clubbing seals would not be considered a humane method, suggesting that all Canadian seal products could be banned if any of the seals were clubbed.

Rebecca Aldworth, director of animal programs for Humane Society International/Canada, called the proposal a "historic step" and urged a complete ban.

"Citizens of Europe expect a total ban on seal product trade," she said. "The European Union should end its trade in all products derived from commercial seal hunts."

Seal hunting off of Newfoundland is an enormously controversial topic--this CBC overview is (I think) relatively neutral. My personal opinion is that the seal hunt is no less immoral than, say, slaughterhouses. Then again, what's necessarily wrong with addressing one issue among many so long as one is consistent? Maybe vegetarian is the only moral response to the suffering of animals.