As one of the co-sponsors of the original Declaration calling for a ban on the import of seal products almost 3 years ago, I am delighted that European foreign ministers have finally approved a ban. It’s a real victory for the global campaign against animal cruelty, and a victory for democracy. Improving animal welfare is one of the EU’s key priorities, and European citizens have long called for action to tackle annual commercial seal hunts around the world - in which nearly one million seals are brutally slaughtered. Up till now, the products of those slaughters - primarily fur – have been traded legally in the EU. By closing the door on fur and other seal products, the EU has taken meaningful action to reduce the scale of commercial seal killing and prove to governments that barbaric annual displays of animal cruelty will no longer be tolerated.
In an aside to this, it’s also worth noting that the Green MEPs were keen to ensure that products from traditional hunts by indigenous peoples in Canada and Greenland will not be covered by the ban.
