CHASSE AU PHOQUE/ La Norvège se joindra au Canada

[Animal 0]

Le gouvernement norvégien projette de se joindre au gouvernement canadien pour condamner l'embargo européen sur la vente des produits dérivés du phoque.




March, 17, 2011 Norway to join Canada in challenging seal ban

“Just to have another government speaking up for this that’s not the Canadian government, it’s definitely really positive that they’re doing this,” says seal industry rep.


By Lee Berthiaume
Published Mar 16, 2011 5:03 PM View story Email Comments To the Editor



Norwegian Government PhotoNorwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Canadian counterpart Lawrence Cannon.
Norway plans to join Canada in challenging the European Union’s ban on seal product imports, a move that has been welcomed by both the Canadian government and members of the sealing industry.




Norway is expected to request the establishment of a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization on March 25, the same day Canada will make its second application for such a panel to be set up.



WTO rules allowed the EU to block Canada’s first request, which was made on Feb. 24. It’s widely expected the 25-member bloc will delay Norway’s request. However, that same day, Canada will likely make its second application for the establishment of a panel, which can’t be stopped.



Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires Cari Hoel told Embassy her country, which is not a member of the European Union, and Canada have been working closely in opposing the EU ban, and the hope is that the two challenges will be combined into one.



“We are hoping that there will be a common panel for the two requests,” she said.



Ms. Hoel said the sealing industry in Norway is not a major economic driver. In fact, it is subsidized by the government, with the sale of seal products offsetting some of the costs.



However, it is an important contributor to the sustainability of the country’s marine resources, namely its fish stocks. For that reason, she said, the decision to challenge the EU ban is “a matter of principles. It’s a matter of sustainable management of marine resources and our right to manage our marine resources in a sustainable manner.”



Canada has also argued that in addition to providing jobs and a source of income for many communities, the hunt is necessary to curb growing seal populations that can damage fish stocks. In a reference to that argument, Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea welcomed Norway’s decision to request a WTO panel by describing the country’s “strong and principled stand in support of sealers and the sealing industry.”



Representatives from this country’s sealing industry also applauded the decision, arguing that the optics of Norway joining its voice to Canada’s was significant.



“Just to have another government speaking up for this that’s not the Canadian government,” said David Barry, sealing committee co-ordinator for the Fur Institute of Canada, “it’s definitely really positive that they’re doing this.



“There’s definitely a myth out there that the only place in the world seals are hunted still is Canada. People kind of make reference to that all the time. But that’s wrong.”



After years of lobbying by the Canadian government and sealers on the one hand, and animal rights groups on the other, the EU ban on seal product imports came into force on Aug. 20.



In addition to a government challenge at the WTO, a conglomerate of 18 Canadian sealing and Inuit organizations have launched two court cases challenging the ban in the European Court of Justice.



The government has said the ban will cost Canada about $5.4 million per year. The country’s grey seal hunt was held last month, with the hunt quota increased from 50,000 to 60,000.



This year’s harp seal hunt is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks. In what was seen as a political message to the EU, the government increased last year’s total sealing quota by 50,000 to 388,200.



lee@embassymag.ca

http://www.embassymag.ca