Canada urges EU rethink on seal products ban

Yahoo News 26 Jul 09;

OTTAWA (AFP) – Canada appealed to the European Union (EU) on Sunday to "reconsider" the adoption of a ban on the sale of seal products, and warned it would consider bringing the issue with the World Trade Organization.

"We are calling on the European Union to reconsider the proposed seal products trade ban," said a statement from International Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea.

"Canada has clearly lived up to its obligations, and our position remains that any ban on a humanely conducted hunt such as Canada's is completely without cause," the statement said.

The European Parliament in May 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 statement Sunday said the Council could take up the proposed ban as early as this Monday. If approved, it would come into force by 2010's seal hunting season.

Ottawa argues that the ban should not target its seal products because it imposes regulations ensuring humane hunting inside its borders.

"Should the EU choose to adopt a seal products trade ban that does not contain an acceptable derogation for humanely harvested seal products, Canada will defend its rights and interests under the relevant World Trade Organization agreements," the statement said.

Around 6,000 Canadians take part in seal hunting each year along the Atlantic coast.

The Canadian government authorizes the slaughter of 338,000 seals per season, and says the survival of the species is not in danger. The popularity of seal hunting has dropped along with a decline in demand for seal products.

However, seal hunting is a particular feature of Inuit communities in the country, and the ministers' statement Sunday made reference to the ban's impact on that population.

"We are particularly concerned that no one in the European Union has listened to the Inuit on this matter. This misinformed and ill-considered regulation will strike at some of Canada's most vulnerable communities," the statement said.