News Date: Monday 2nd February 2009
SOS - Save Our Seals
Tim has spoken out against seal hunts by supporting a parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM 478) to propose an EU-wide ban on seal imports, as follows.
"That this House recognises that an historic opportunity to introduce an EU-wide ban on the import of and the trade in all seal products is currently within reach, as the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers examine draft EU legislation to that effect in the coming months; notes that the Government's position is to support a complete EU-wide ban with no loopholes; further notes that 84 per cent of the public wants to see an end to the trade in all seal products; and calls on the Government to do all in its power, and in particular encourage our 78 MEPs to support this approach, to ensure that a complete EU ban comes into force as soon as possible."
Tim said, "Canada's annual mass cull of around 350,000 seals which takes place every March, is unacceptably inhumane. Commercial seal hunts are the world's largest slaughter of marine mammals and over the past four years, more than 1.25 million seals have been killed for their fur.
"It has been reported by many independent veterinarians that over 78% of the sealers did not check to see if an animal was dead before skinning it. However, following subsidies from the Canadian government to reinvigorate the hunt and create new commercial markets, the annual hunt has increased with a vengeance. The sealers now simply wait a few extra days until the harp seals begin to shed their 'whitecoats' before killing them. Last year, Canada raised the limit of the catch by a further 5,000 seals. This quota does not include the thousands of seals which are killed in the water but not recovered.
"The seals are killed primarily for their fur, but other products such as seal oil is sold as a 'health supplement'. However, SPAG (The Seal Protection Action Group) believes that the high levels of industrial contaminants such as PCB's (Polychlorinated Biphenyl) and mercury, which build up in the blubber of marine mammals such as whales and seals, poses a serious risk to human health.
"It is argued by the Canadian Government that the seal hunts are just like other animal production industries, but it has been proved that seals suffer such levels of cruelty that would not be permitted in any other animal industry, worldwide. The import of seal products is already banned by Belgium and the Netherlands, and bans are under consideration by Germany, Italy and Austria. A ban on imports by the EU as a whole would have a dramatic effect on the trade which would be most welcome and long overdue."
