European Parliament approves ban on seal products

[Canuckistanian]

Source: CBC

The European Parliament has passed a bill that will ban the import of seal products, a move that could have severe implications for Canada's annual seal hunt.

The bill passed the European Union assembly in a 550-49 vote on Tuesday.

The legislation, which states that commercial seal hunting is "inherently inhumane," is expected to be endorsed by EU governments in the coming weeks to ensure the ban is in place before next year's hunt.

The ban will offer some exemptions to Inuit communities in Canada and Greenland so they can continue their traditional hunts of harp and hooded seals, but bars large-scale trading of pelts, oils or meats in the 27-state Europe Union.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/05/05/eu-seal-ban-505.html

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I say it's about time.

[Nihil]

1. Yay! K&R (n/t)

:toast:

[Coventina]

2. Proud to be the 5th rec!

:kick:

[flvegan]

3. Best news in a long time. The seal hunt is no more!

The sealers had a shitty season this year too, taking 21% of their quota. The final nail has now been driven.

[saigon68]

4. Those Fuckers could sure split skulls

Hopefully these ass-clowns will be out of business

[Vidar]

5. Good for Europe.

[DebbieCDC]

6. Finally some sanity in the world

[Mari333]

7. YES!!!!!!!

thank GOD! yes!!!!!!!!

[CHIMO]

8. Now Maybe

We will see a ban on inhumane treatment of animals. Ironic. We don't ban it on humans.

Maybe the affected governments could turn this into their advantage?

[Kaleko]

9. Great news.

[iverglas]

10. "severe implications for Canada's annual seal hunt"

Actually, it will have "severe implications" for the survival of many subsistence-level communities in Canada, many of the people involved being Aboriginal people.

Perhaps the Europeans would like to take the money they spend on foie gras and bullfights and send it to the people and families and communities who will lose their livelihoods as a result of this action.

Does anybody here actually know anything about the seal hunt?

Didn't think so.

[Nihil]

11. Perhaps you'd like to get a clue?

> Actually, it will have "severe implications" for the survival of many
> subsistence-level communities in Canada, many of the people involved
> being Aboriginal people.

Actually, it will only have "severe implications" for the large-scale
trading of "pelts, oils or meats" in the EU and specifically offers
exemptions to Inuit communities so genuine "subsistence-level communities"
can continue but the "killing for profit from fashion houses" can't.

> Perhaps the Europeans would like to take the money they spend on
> foie gras and bullfights and send it to the people and families and
> communities who will lose their livelihoods as a result of this action.

If you think about it, the kind of Europeans who would spend their
money on foie gras are the ones that would spend it on seal furs (now
banned) so your "argument" sucks. I also think you over-estimate the
support for bullfights in Europe but, FWIW, I'd be delighted if both
of those cruel & unnecessary "industries" were banned too.

:hi:

[iverglas]

12. yes, very amusing

Canadians are generally so clueless about all things Canadians.


specifically offers
exemptions to Inuit communities so genuine "subsistence-level communities"
can continue but the "killing for profit from fashion houses" can't.

Have you read what any Inuit have said about this exemption?

Didn't think so.

Perhaps you imagine that there is some real difference between the Inuit seal hunt and any other element of the seal hunt. Inuit kill seals kindly and gently, is that it?


If you think about it, the kind of Europeans who would spend their
money on foie gras are the ones that would spend it on seal furs (now
banned) so your "argument" sucks.

Actually, those who can think beyond the concrete would have realized that my "argument" was that a Europe that permits the abuse of animals that results in foie gras, and that rakes in tourist dollars by the bucketload by abusing animals for fun and profit in bullfights and corridas, and that engages in questionable hunting practices, might just have some agenda apart from its love of seals in all this.

[Nihil]

13. Why turn animal welfare into some sort of nationalist pissing match?

> Have you read what any Inuit have said about this exemption?

Yes. They responded the same way that certain bankers did when
told that their obscene bonuses were not acceptable ...
Indignation, scurrying around for excuses, pleas for exceptionalism.
Quelle surprise!

> Perhaps you imagine that there is some real difference between
> the Inuit seal hunt and any other element of the seal hunt.

The only difference that I can see is that *some* of the Inuit
seal hunt is for subsistence purposes. That is the bit that can be
tolerated. The larger element of it (the profit-hunting bit) can't.
The technique is no more palatable but the justification (and the
scale) falls into the margin where there is room for compromise.

If you want to kill a seal and eat it (+ use the skin, fat, whatever) - fine.
If you want to kill a thousand seals purely to sell their skins - f*** off.
Scale and purpose.

> my "argument" was that a Europe ... might just have some agenda
> apart from its love of seals in all this.

Take off the foil hat pal - it only highlights your bad points.

We are finally getting there on the "questionable hunting practices"
(yes, too slowly for my liking too but we're getting there).
The foie gras abomination is being addressed (again too slowly) along
with veal, battery hens and other animal abuse (at least in this country)
whilst bullfights & corridas are the holdout of one particular country
(oddly enough, using the same "traditional" arguments for defence as
seal and whale hunters use elsewhere) despite action in most of the
rest of the EU.

I know full well that both the UK and the EU at large still have some
real problems in animal abuse but I also know that we are making progress,
one victory at a time, and we will continue to do so. This EU decision
is yet another victory but no-one is under the illusion that it solves
all animal rights issues in itself. That is still no reason to whinge
and use that tired old plea "Well so-and-so still does xyz so why can't
we carry on in our traditional barbaric way without criticism?"

:shrug: