Seal Cull In Canada: EU Move May Bring End To Slaughter

[Animal 0]

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The European Union is on the verge of an import ban that could help end the hugely controversial Canadian seal hunt, according to animal welfare groups.


Every year, more than 250,000 harp seals are slaughtered by hunters armed with clubs and rifles.


Animal welfare groups have mounted a long campaign to stop the commercial hunt, and this year they believe they are close to getting an EU-wide ban on seal products.


Experts say this could do the trick, as Canada would no longer be able to ship seal pelts through European ports to major markets in China and Russia.

This year, however, 275,000 seals will be killed - the Canadians say it will not threaten the population of up to six million, and argue that sealing is an important part of the local economy.


The seals are born in March. For the first few weeks of their lives they are nurtured by their mothers, and it is against the law to hunt them.


Baby harp seals have a coat of white fur for the first 12 days of their lives. Since 1987 it has been illegal to hunt "whitecoats" for their fur.


But that immunity lasts just a few weeks. The hunt opens around the end of March, depending on when the winter ice floes have broken up sufficiently to allow fishing boats to reach the seals.


Seal fur is used in the fashion industry, with each pelt fetching around $25 to $40, and hunters can expect to make $2,000 each in a few days.


There is little commercial use for the rest of the seal, so many carcasses are simply discarded on the ice after they have been skinned.


Belgium, Holland, have all introduced legislation to ban seal products; similar laws are on the way in Germany and Italy.


The British government objects to the hunt but has not taken similar action, as it believes the EU is close to introducing the import ban.


However, with Rotterdam closed and Hamburg about to become a no-entry port to Canadian exporters, animal welfare groups believe there will be an increase in products sent to British shores unless a ban is implemented.