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.