Good news come from Canada this summer: after a third reading on The Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act (Bill S-214), the Senate decided to pass it and the country is halfway through its journey to a cruelty-free cosmetics market. The last step will be taken in the beginning of the next legislative session in September, when the bill will be presented to the House of Commons and voted one last time. If it passes, Canada will officially ban animal testing for cosmetics, joining the other 37 countries – including the world’s largest beauty markets – that have already gone cruelty-free for cosmetics, and contributing to the worldwide ban that has been called for by the European Union MEPs in March 2018 (https://www.oipainternational.org/global-ban-animal-testing-cosmetics).

Canada’s journey to a cruelty-free cosmetics industry has started in 2015, when Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen introduced the bill in partnership with Humane Society International and Animal Alliance of Canada. Senator Olsen expressed her sincerest hope for the act to be passed by the Parliament and this way “bring Canada into the 21^st century”.

Major animal welfare groups, including Humane Society International and Animal Alliance, have extensively promoted the act, joined by socially responsible brands like LUSH Cosmetics. Together, they launched the #BeCrueltyFree Canada campaign and expressed their gratitude to the Senate for allowing Canada to achieve such an important milestone for animal welfare. Moreover, The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International had launched the Forever Against Animal Testing campaign that collected 6.5 million signatures, and a petition to the Canadian Parliament that became the largest petition to be delivered in over 70 years, with over 630 000 Canadian signatures.

If passed, the new legislation will prohibit any form of domestic animal testing for cosmetics, as well as the sale of cosmetic products that have undergone any form of animal testing. Let us keep our fingers crossed for Canada to become yet another cruelty-free country, and hopefully more good news await in September!

Sources:

http://www.hsi.org/world/canada/news/releases/2018/06/cruelty-free-cosmetics-act-062018.html

https://vegnews.com/2018/6/canadas-senate-passes-cruelty-free-cosmetics-act

L'articolo CANADA IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO GOING CRUELTY-FREE FOR COSMETICS proviene da OIPA.

Elisa Norelli
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo GOOD NEWS FROM NORWAY: STOP TO SUBSIDIES TO COMMERCIAL SEAL INDUSTRY proviene da OIPA.

Elisa Norelli
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo CANADA: THE ANNUAL MASSACRE OF SEALS HAS JUST BEGUN proviene da OIPA.

The 2011 harp seal quota is the highest set since the Canadian government introduced quota management in 1971. The quota for the harp seal hunt off Canada’s east coast has been set at 400,000 animals by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The Hooded Seal TAC for 2011 is rolled over from 2010. The total allowable catch for Harp Seals for the 2011 season has been set at 400,000. This includes a 20,000 developmental quota and a carry-over of 20% for commercial fleets. Many sealers stayed at home, unable to find buyers or worried about the lack of ice floes.

While the industry brought about $1 million, the Canadian government estimates the cost of enforcement at the slaughter to be up to $3.6 million annually. Further, the Canadian government has invested millions of dollars in promoting the sealing industry on an international level and working to block bans on seal product trade.

The hunting of seals has led to expressions of serious concerns by OIPA, members of the public and governments sensitive to animal welfare considerations due to the pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering which the killing and skinning of seals, as they are most frequently performed, cause to those animals.

Global markets for seal products are closing. Canada’s two largest trading partners — the United States and the European Union— have both banned trade in seal products. Regulation (EC) No. 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council on trade in seal products was adopted on 16 September 2009 and was published on 31 October 2009. It entered into force 20 days after publication. The Regulation prohibits the marketing of products derived from seals on the EU market. It applies to seal products produced in the EU and imported products.

National People’s Congress (NPC) of the People’s Republic of China accepted two legislative proposals to ban Canadian seal product imports to China. The two proposals were sponsored by dozens of NPC members. Both legislative proposals called on the NPC to ban seal product imports and pointed out the brutality of seal slaughters.

On behalf of OIPA, thank you to all the people who sent letters, signed action alerts and spreaded the news. Please keep supporting this animals and give them a voice. Together we can make a difference. Seals are sentient beings that can experience pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering.

Paola Ghidotti
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo CANADIAN SEAL HUNT 2011 proviene da OIPA.

Statement from Rebecca Aldworth on Canadian Seal Slaughter. Slaughter opened in the “front” (waters northeast of Newfoundland) before sunrise on Thursday: “Sealers are flagrantly violating the few inadequate rules that exist to protect seals,” said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane Society International/Canada. “There were no government enforcement officers in the area we were filming. One baby seal was shot in the face, and was shaking her head in agony as she crawled across the ice for several minutes, blood trailing behind her, before a sealer clubbed her. Sealers were not checking to ensure seals were unconscious before impaling them on hooks and dragging them across the ice, throwing them onto boats, and cutting them open. In the 12 years I have observed the commercial seal slaughter in Canada, this is some of the worst cruelty I have witnessed. These images prove that Canada’s seal slaughter is cruel and inhumane.”

Only one sealing boat in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is known to have gone out in the last week. However, DFO officials are keeping quiet on the boat’s activities, refusing to report on how many seals have been killed by the crew thus far, reported IFAW. “As the Newfoundland hunt opens, we have no idea how many seals have been killed in the last week. So far, the number of seals killed has been shrouded in secrecy” said Fink, a senior researcher with IFAW.
Compared to other years, sealing activity has been stunted this year, due to the scarcity of seal pups and a decreased demand for seal products. Markets for seal pelts appear to remain saturated with prices expected to remain around $15 per skin, down from $104 in 2006. A commercial hunt for grey seals earlier this year failed to occur altogether.

With the price of seal fur plummeting and international outrage against the seal slaughter rising, there is no excuse for this barbaric event to continue wasting taxpayer dollars. The U.S. and the European Union have banned seal products.
The outlaw on the Community market of the sale, import, transit and export of seal products is intended as a response to the European Parliament’s concerns about practices that cause unjustified suffering to animals. A declaration on the subject signed by 425 MEPs in 2006 also stressed the need to take measures that would not have an impact on traditional Inuit seal hunting (3% of the world total). Parliament’s position was prompted by concerns raised by NGOs and public opinion in most Member States about the treatment inflicted on seals.
The European Union is concerned about the animal welfare aspects of the seal hunt. Doubts have been expressed about some of the methods used for hunting seals, such as shooting, netting and clubbing, that can cause avoidable pain and distress. Several EU Member States were considering, or had already introduced, national legislative measures to ban the import and use of seal skins and seal products. In the light of these concerns the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation banning the trade in seal products in the European Union on 16 September 2009. It applies to seal products produced in the EU and to imported products. The aim of the Regulation is to ensure that products derived from seals are no longer found on the European market. The Regulation was published in the Official Journal on 31 October 2009, entering into force 20 days after publication.

But most of Canada’s 6,000 sealers stayed home, unable to find buyers for their catch or stymied by a lack of ice floes for the first time in 60 years on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, which usually host hordes of seals birthing pups.
Please write to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Canadian ambassadors around the world to demand that they bring the massacre to an immediate end.

L'articolo UPDATES: CANADIAN SEAL HUNT 2010 proviene da OIPA.

The import into Member States for commercial purposes of skins of harp seal pups and hooded seal pups and products derived therefrom is prohibited under Council Directive 83/129/EEC of 28 March 1983 concerning the importation into Member States of skins of certain seal pups and products derived therefrom.

Seals are hunted within and outside the Community and used for obtaining products and articles, such as meat, oil, blubber, organs, fur skins and articles made therefrom, which include products as diverse as Omega-3 capsules and garments incorporating processed seal skins and fur. Those products are sold commercially on different markets, including the Community market. Given the nature of those products, it is difficult or impossible for consumers to distinguish them from similar products not derived from seals.

The hunting of seals has led to expressions of serious concerns by OIPA, members of the public and governments sensitive to animal welfare considerations due to the pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering which the killing and skinning of seals, as they are most frequently performed, cause to those animals.

In accordance with the Protocol on protection and welfare of animals annexed to the Treaty, the Community is to pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals when formulating and implementing, inter alia, its internal market policy.

Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of this Regulation and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Member States shall notify the Commission of those provisions by20 August 2010, and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment thereto. By 20 November 2011 and thereafter every 4 years, Member States shall submit to the Commission a report outlining the actions taken to implement this Regulation.

Canada’s annual seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth. Sealers bludgeon the animals with clubs and “hakapiks” (clubs with metal hooks on their ends) and drag the seals—who are still conscious—across the ice floes with boat hooks. Many of these animals are even skinned alive. Hunters toss dead and dying seals into heaps and leave their carcasses to rot on the ice floes because there is no market for seal meat.
OIPA welcomes the new REGULATION (EC) No 1007/2009, after many years of campaigns we win. We’ve made history. Thank you for being a part of our campaign to save the seals. Thank you to the European Union for rejecting cruelty.

Regulation (EC) No. 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and the Council on trade in seal products was adopted on 16 September 2009 and was published on 31 October 2009. It enters into force 20 days after publication. The Regulation prohibits the marketing of products derived from seals on the EU market. It applies to seal products produced in the EU and imported products. It does not apply to transit through the EU.

Now, we have to keep the pressure on Namibian authorities. Namibia now remains the only country on earth to round up nursing baby seals still suckling on their mother’s milk, driving them in-land away from the safety of the sea, and as they attempt to flee alongside their mothers back to its safety are clubbed and stabbed to death by rows of as many as 100 part-time migrant workers – everyday between July 1 and November 15, each year. Vomiting up their mother’s milk as they slowly die.

Paola Ghidotti
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo THE EU BANS THE TRADE IN SEAL PRODUCTS proviene da OIPA.

European Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas said: “After many years of campaigning by European citizens I welcome the regulation which bans seal products from entering or being traded in the European Union. By upholding the highest standards the new legislation addresses EU citizens’ concerns with regard to the cruel hunting methods of seals. ”

Ban on seal products in the EU
The text agreed by the Council and the European Parliament in first reading reflects Europeans’ profound attachment to seals as sentient mammals capable of experiencing pain, distress and suffering. Tens of thousands of Europeans have sent letters to the European Commission, the European Parliament and national governments expressing their concerns about seal hunting.
The aim of the new EU legislation is to regulate the internal market and to address EU citizens’ concerns on the welfare of seals during commercial hunts. The regulation bans the placing on the market and the importing into the European Union of seal products for commercial purposes.
The new EU measures eliminate the disparate national rules in force and consolidate the fragmented European market in seal products. However, trade in seal products will be allowed for seal products derived from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities and which contribute to their subsistence.

Seal hunting in the world: The 30 species of seals are usually found along the coasts of polar and sub-polar regions of the globe, but some can also be found in some temperate regions. Of all these species, some 15 are targeted for hunting and represent an estimated population of 15-16 million seals. Seal hunting occurs year round, but the hunting season varies according to the region and the species targeted.

Background: Seals are hunted mainly for their skin, fat, and meat, but there is a rising market for omega-3 capsules containing seal oil. The methods used to kill seals and their effectiveness vary considerably. These include shooting seals with bullets, clubbing, and catching them in traps and nets. Those methods have raised serious concerns among citizens in the EU with regard to the animal welfare aspects.

On behalf of OIPA, thank you, to all the people who signed our petitions and alerts. Please, keep writing to give voice to the voiceless.

Paola Ghidotti
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo ENVIRONMENT: EU COMMISSION WELCOMES THE AGREEMENT REACHED ON SEAL PRODUCT BAN proviene da OIPA.

Addressing the welfare of seals during hunting

The aim of the proposed regulation is to address the animal welfare aspects of the killing and skinning of seals during a hunt by ensuring that products derived from seals killed and skinned in ways that cause pain, distress and suffering do not find their way to the European market.

Seals are sentient mammals which can experience pain. The Commission proposal seeks to address the concerns expressed by the European Parliament and the general public that seals are being killed and skinned using practices that unnecessarily inflict pain and suffering. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion indicates that seals can be killed rapidly and effectively by a number of methods without causing avoidable pain, distress and suffering, but evidence shows that effective killing does not always happen in practice.

Trade in seal products would be allowed only where guarantees can be provided that hunting techniques consistent with high animal-welfare-standards were used and that the animals did not suffer unnecessarily. In countries where seal hunting continues a certification scheme would be established, coupled, if necessary, with a distinctive label or marking, which will ensure that seal products traded are clearly certified as coming from a country meeting strict conditions.

The aim of the Commission’s proposal is to uphold high standards of animal welfare.

The proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament and to Council for their approval.

Seal hunting in the world

The 30 species of seals can usually be found along the coasts of polar and sub-polar regions of the globe, but some can also be found in some temperate regions. Of these, some 15 species are targeted for hunting with an estimated population of 15-16 million. Seal hunting occurs year round, but the hunting season varies on the region and the species targeted.

Canada, Greenland, and Namibia account for about 60% of the 900.000 seals hunted each year. Other countries which hunt seals include Iceland, Norway, Russia, and the United States, and in the European Union Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

Background

Seals are hunted mainly for their skin, fat, and meat. The methods used to kill seals and their effectiveness vary considerably. These include shooting seals, clubbing or catching them in traps and nets.

L'articolo EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROPOSES TRADE BAN IN PRODUCTS FROM SEALS TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFAREN proviene da OIPA.

Global Political Response
In 2005, a US Senate Resolution was introduced by Senators Levin and Collins, urging the Government of Canada to stop the hunt. The resolution has 26 co-sponsors including Foreign Relations Committee Chair Senator Richard Lugar. The US banned the trade in seal products in 1972.
In 2006, 213 members of the British House of Commons signed an Early Day Motion calling on the UK Government to introduce a ban on the import of and trade in all seal products.
In 2006, the Council of Europe passed a recommendation urging its 47 member states to promote initiatives aimed at prohibiting the trade in seal products.
In September 2006, 425 members of the European Parliament signed a historic declaration calling upon the European Commission to immediately introduce legislation to prohibit the trade in seal products. The EC then undertook a study of the humane aspects of seal hunting, the results of which could provide the foundation to ban all seal products within the EU.
Its study completed, the EC held a public consultation to measure international opinion on an EU-wide ban on the trade in seal products.
In the last four years the Canadian government has allowed over one and a quarter million baby seals to be brutally slaughtered by clubbing and shooting, with the majority of seals killed aged three months or younger. An independent veterinary study concluded that 42% of seals may have been skinned whilst still conscious. The Canadian government not only defends but also promotes this cruelty. This is the largest most brutal slaughter of marine mammals on the planet and brings shame upon Canada.

The international opposition to Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt is steadily spreading. In September 2006, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on the European Commission to introduce legislation banning the trade in all harp and hooded seal products. Currently, the European Commission is evaluating the humane aspects of the seal hunting, the results of which could provide the foundation for a ban.

Closing markets are causing seal product prices to plummet. Seal skin prices in 2007 fell by a whopping 50% from last year. In part because of the drop in pelt value, hunters killed less than 80% of their allotted quota in 2007.

Paola Ghidotti
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo CANADA’S SEAL HUNT WRAPS UP proviene da OIPA.

In September, Canada launched a challenge to the World Trade Organization in an effort to persuade the Belgian and Dutch governments to reverse their bans, arguing their policies were rooted in misinformation spread in large part by animal rights groups. Ottawa’s complaint remains before the WTO.
The federal government is proposing sealers immediately bleed the seal after shooting or clubbing it – a process that involves cutting two large blood vessels – to minimize pain and distress.
Canada’s efforts are counterproductive and reek of desperation.

The international opposition to Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt is steadily spreading. In September 2006, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on the European Commission to introduce legislation banning the trade in all harp and hooded seal products. Closing markets are causing seal product prices to plummet. Seal skin prices in 2007 fell by a whopping 50% from last year. In part because of the drop in pelt value, hunters killed less than 80% of their allotted quota in 2007.
Commercial seal hunts often target defenseless seal pups. In Canada, more than 95 percent of the seals killed each year are less than 3 months old.

A recent scientific opinion by the Panel on Animal Health and Welfare requested by the European Commission concluded, “When seals are hit or shot, but are not dead, they may have to be hit or shot again or may be moved or skinned whilst conscious, resulting in avoidable pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering” and “seals should be protected from acts that cause them avoidable pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering”.

Carino Company Ltd., on its web site: Prices for seal pelts during 2007 season
“Carino came out with our first price list for the 2007 season in November 2006. This price list showed a reduction from the 2006 season. At year end 2006 we could see that there was a need for a further reduction in the price for seal pelts as the world prices for mink had been further reduced”.

Recent polling for the Humane Society International suggests that 48 per cent of the public would support their supermarket boycotting Canadian seafood in an effort to stop the annual cull.

Paola Ghidotti
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo CANADIAN SEAL INDUSTRY FACES CRISIS proviene da OIPA.