The European Parliament has adopted a
proposal by South-East England's Green
Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas designed
to halt the annual slaughter of
hundreds of thousands of seals in
Canada and Russia.
Lucas, who is also a Vice-President of
the RSPCA, which awarded her its
‘Michael Kay Award' earlier this year
to mark an ‘outstanding contribution
to European animal welfare',
co-sponsored a Written Declaration,
along with four other parliamentary
colleagues, calling for a ban on the
import or sale of any products from
hooded or harp seals.
Written Declarations are the European
Parliament's equivalent of an Early
Day Motion in the UK House of Commons.
They rarely receive the support of
sufficient MEPs to become the
parliament's official policy – but
with 373 signatures lodged the call
for a seal fur import ban has done so
two weeks ahead of its parliamentary
deadline.
Dr Lucas, also the Green Party's
Principal Speaker, said: “This is
fantastic news, which brings us a
significant step closer to ending the
cruel and entirely unnecessary
slaughter of hundreds of thousands of
seals in Canada and Russia every year.
“I am delighted that a majority of
MEPs from all political groups and EU
member nations have agreed that this
barbaric practice must be ended – and
the onus is now on the European
Commission to act immediately, as MEPs
have demanded, before next year's
hunt.”
The declaration, which will be
formally adopted later today
(Wednesday, September 6 th ) calls for
the European Commission to immediately
ban the trade in seal body parts and
products – a ban already adopted in
Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Croatia
and the US, and under consideration by
the Council of Europe.
Dr Lucas initially proposed the ban
after it emerged that more than a
million wild harp and hooded seals
have been slaughtered in Canada in
just the last three years – and over a
hundred thousand seal pups have
suffered a similar fate in Russia .
She said: “ More than 20 years
after the EU banned the import of fur
products from the very youngest seal
pups, hundreds of thousands of seals
pups annually – most just a few weeks
old – are clubbed on the ice floes or
shot from moving boats as they attempt
to flee. Many are skinned alive.
“And every year there is public
outrage when pictures of the hunt are
broadcast around the world – but the
most ‘telegenic' pictures are taken
near the end of the annual hunt, and
the outrage comes too late for another
generation of seals.”
Dr Lucas added: “Banning the
import of all seal fur is the only
guaranteed way of saving thousands of
animals' lives and showing the EU
takes animal welfare and protection
issues seriously.”
ENDS
Read the Written Declaration in full
