Canada threatens WTO challenge of EU seal ban

OTTAWA – Canada announced Tuesday it would seek to overturn a European Union ban on products derived from seals at the World Trade Organisation if Canada is not exempted from the prohibition.

Canada, Greenland and Namibia account for around 60 per cent of the 900 000 seals killed each year. The rest are killed in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Britain and the United States.
‘If the EU imposes a trade ban on seal products it must contain an exemption for any country, like Canada, that has strict guidelines in place for humane and sustainable sealing practices,’ Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day said in a statement.
‘If there is no such acceptable exemption, Canada will challenge the ban at the World Trade Organisation,’ he added.
The European Parliament earlier voted to endorse an EU ban on seal products in protest against commercial hunting methods, but it will only become law once it is adopted by the Council of the European Union.
The Canadian government maintains that the 350-year-old hunt is crucial for some 6 000 North Atlantic fishermen who rely on it for up to 35 per cent of their total annual income.
Animal rights groups, however, say it is barbaric and have waged an aggressive campaign in recent years to stop the annual hunt.
Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea commented: ‘The Canadian seal hunt is guided by rigorous animal welfare principles which are internationally recognised by independent observers.’
‘I once again caution my European counterparts about the dangers of pursuing politically motivated bans on other countries’ traditional industries.’
Ottawa authorised the slaughter of 338 000 seals this year, insisting the hunt does not threaten the species.
But a slump in pelt prices has meant fewer hunters on ice floes off Canada’s Atlantic coast and only 60 000 seals have been killed so far with only a few weeks left in this year’s licensed hunting season, officials told AFP.
-Nampa-AFP