Ban on trade in seal products, the tug-of-war continues between those who want to save the seals and those who want to kill them, the hunters. But today the balance is positive: this morning the IMCO Commission (Internal Market and Consumer Protection) of the European Parliament voted the merit opinion on the proposal of the EU Commission to amend Regulation (EC) 1007/2009 on the ban on trade in products of seal
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Ban on trade in seal products, the tug-of-war continues between those who want to save the seals and those who want to kill them, the hunters. But today the balance is positive: this morning the IMCO Commission (Internal Market and Consumer Protection) of the European Parliament voted the substantive opinion on the proposal of the EU Commission to amend Regulation (EC) 1007/2009 on ban on trade in seal products.
They were all the worst amendments rejected which would have allowed the general ban to be circumvented, but unfortunately others which aim to encourage the consumption of products deriving from hunting practiced by indigenous peoples have been approved.
“The European ban on the trade in seal products is constantly under fire from the industry that does not want to give up the exploitation of these animals. Today LAV, with a structured collaboration work with the main European and international NGOs, has been able to win another battle avoiding the circumvention of the ban. The legislative process will be completed by September and there will probably be other attempts by the hunters' lobby that we will firmly undertake to reject, thanks to the support of millions of citizens who are on the side of animals ”, says Simone Pavesi, head of LAV Campagna Pellicce.
Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 establishes a general ban on placing seal products on the Union market. Prohibition to which a derogation is already provided for products derived from the hunting traditionally practiced by the Inuit and other indigenous communities and that contribute to their livelihood (the so-called “IC waiver”).
It also provides for a second derogation if the hunt is carried out for the sole purpose of guaranteeing one sustainable management of marine resources non-profit or commercial purposes (the so-called "MRM derogation"), as well as a further derogation from occasional imports, consisting exclusively of goods intended for the personal use of travelers or their families.
The two main countries that have created a seal hunting business, Canada and Norway, immediately in 2009 they started a dispute with the World Trade Organization aimed at revoking the European ban.
However, on 18 June 2014 the WTO conciliation body ruled that while the a ban on seal products can, in principle, be justified by moral concerns about the welfare of seals, the two exemptions - IC and MRM - are contested in relation to international free trade agreements (TBT and GATT).
In order to comply with its obligations under the WTO, the European Commission has thus decided to follow up on the provisions of the WTO by presenting a proposal for a Regulation amending Reg. (EC) 1007/2009 and which essentially consists of:
- Total elimination of the MRM exemption (which was included in the text of the ban only because of the hunters' lobby);
- Restriction of the IC waiver, in particular by linking it with respect for animal welfare and by introducing a limit on the placing of seal products on the market if the extent of the hunt or other circumstances indicate that the hunt is mainly conducted for commercial purposes.
After today's vote, the legislative proposal enters a new phase, that of the trialogue, that is the confrontation between Parliament, Council and Commission for the drafting of an agreement text that will be voted on at first reading in plenary session probably as early as July.
Roberta Ragni
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Seal hunting: protest by Inuit Eskimos in Strasbourg against the ban
