EU outlaws trade in seal products (thank you Macca) !!!
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http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n180037&PHPSESSID=k7un331uq5m1bthqjrth6bku54 EU outlaws trade in seal products 6 May 2009 | 01:46 | FOCUS News Agency Brussels. A ban on the trade in seal products in the EU was passed by the European Parliament today in a move designed to end the ?inhumane? cull of the animals, notably in Canada, The Times revealed.The legislation will prohibit the import and sale of seal pelts and other products such as oil, which is used in some Omega 3 health supplements.Today?s vote, by 550 MEPs to 49, follows a long campaign against the slaughter of seals but may not be the end of the story, with Canada and Norway threatening to appeal to the World Trade Organisation.MEPs were urged to implement the ban by high-profile campaigners such as Sir Paul McCartney, who called it ?trade in animal cruelty?, and Pamela Anderson, the Canadian actress and former Bay Watch star.
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feact:
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n180037&PHPSESSID=k7un331uq5m1bthqjrth6bku54 EU outlaws trade in seal products 6 May 2009 | 01:46 | FOCUS News Agency Brussels. A ban on the trade in seal products in the EU was passed by the European Parliament today in a move designed to end the ?inhumane? cull of the animals, notably in Canada, The Times revealed.The legislation will prohibit the import and sale of seal pelts and other products such as oil, which is used in some Omega 3 health supplements.Today?s vote, by 550 MEPs to 49, follows a long campaign against the slaughter of seals but may not be the end of the story, with Canada and Norway threatening to appeal to the World Trade Organisation.MEPs were urged to implement the ban by high-profile campaigners such as Sir Paul McCartney, who called it ?trade in animal cruelty?, and Pamela Anderson, the Canadian actress and former Bay Watch star.
Thanks for posting this Fea
What great news 
And Thank you Paul 
You are the best 
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06.05.2009 European Union Bans Trade in Seal Products
European Union Bans Trade in Seal Products / Respect for Animals Welcomes Historic Legislation Speaking about the ban Paul said: "It?s really great news that will hopefully put an end to this trade in cruelty. The many people who have campaigned for a ban on this activity will be relieved and happy with this victory for the welfare of these beautiful creatures. Understanding that some of the local people may not be happy with this development, I would love to think that there would be a switch in thinking and that they could offer tourists guided trips to this beautiful region and its unique animal life.? Yesterday (5th May) the European Parliament voted by a large majority to ban the placing on the market of seal products throughout the 27 countries of the EU. More here: http://www.paulmccartney.com/news.php#1617/2009-05 -
Wunjo, thank you for posting this
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Graag gedaan, Fea
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I'm sorry to say that this ban will not have the effect many of you desire so badly. I doubt any of you can foresee what will happen so I will share with you how it will affect how people in my community hunt seals. Will it mean we cannot ship seal products through or to EU countries? Yes. Will it mean that fishermen like me and my family will stop killing them? No. They are a population that is out of control. Up to this point it has been profitable for us to sell pelts and other seal products in an effort to use as much of the animal as possible. The income has been very important to us. The primary reason for the modern seal hunt, however, is population control and we still need to do this. What does this mean for the future of the hunt? Well, it will cease to be an economic endeavor in which we attempt to curry favour with the international community in order to protect the markets for our seal exports. The result? Since we do not have to carry seals to market we are not limited by how many animals our boats can hold. We will not be carrying any. This will mean we can actually kill more since we do not have to worry about our vessel's capacity. The slaughter will be in the name of culling the herd so we will simply kill them at our leisure and leave them where they lie. Since we no longer have a market to protect we do not have to worry about international pressure to kill only certain numbers or in certain ways. The EU has completely removed itself from the equation. The only power it had over the hunt was its ability to pressure the markets within its constituent countries. That power is now gone. If I might make a slightly crude analogy, it's like your wife refusing to make love to you. If she makes it a permanent situation by leaving you you don't really have to romance her with flowers and chocolates do you? Your concern for her favourable opinion of you has evaporated with the relationship.... The final result of the ban will be this: We will kill as many or more seals. We will not have to bring them to market. Since it will only be a cull we will cease to have government observers and inspectors. They don't need to witness a cull of seals any more than they need to witness you killing a rat or a mouse in your basement. Because there will be no market for seal products we will use nothing of the animals we kill. We will do this all in the name of managing the population of animals that we can't sell to protect the stock levels of those we can sell, just the same as the fish farmers in the UK do. I understand the motivation behind the anti-seal hunt movement but I've often thought it a little short sighted in its inability to see the larger picture and the benefits the hunt had for the seal population and for those of us that make our living off of it. I regret the victory of emotion over reason for it means that what was once a reliable, renewable, and susainable industry has become nothing more than an exercise in killing beautiful animals that have bred themselves to such levels that they have become pests. The seal hunt will now become a maritime varmint shoot and their carcasses will rot on the ocean floor rather than fueling an industry to employ rural people. I'm pretty sure this is not the result you were all looking for but it is the reality. Sorry to disappoint.
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Concerned Canadian, Let me first say I have read some of your posts before and I do think you have a heart for animals. Like you, I don?t think the ban is the ultimate solution to the problem, but we have to start somewhere. What is wisdom? My concern is that the ban probably won?t bring people together; instead it may worsen the fight between people with different opinions. We have already seen lots of these fights in this section. What I don?t understand is that people obviously don?t see that, as long as they are fighting each other, there will never be peace, there will never be true solutions. I do understand the ban is a threat for your living, your income. Believe me, I know from experience what that does to you. My work was totally different from yours and I have always enjoyed doing it. But because I couldn?t agree with some rules the authorities found necessary (to have more control; we live in a world where we want to control everything and if it doesn?t work, we just create more rules), because these rules will violate the privacy of my clients and make it impossible for me to do my work the way I think I should do it, there was only one thing I could do without having the feeling I sold my soul: give up my practice. It left me without an income. And it is difficult because I need one and I am nearly drowning. So I do understand it if you are angry with those who support the ban. But please don?t indulge your anger on the seals by killing them in even more cruel ways. They are innocent. Perhaps I am wrong, but this is what I sense in your post, that your anger might cause you to close your heart for the beautiful animals. That would be so sad.
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Beautiful post Wunjo!
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Wunjo, Sorry, I think you may have misinterpreted some of what I wrote. As you suggest, I am not out to cause any unnecessary suffering to anything. What I was trying to convey, with limited success, is that once the nature of this hunt changes from a government monitored and regulated harvest to a mere exercise in culling then there will be ramifications that people like yourself are unable to predict. First, we have to radio ashore every day the number of animals we've taken so that the quota is closely monitored to ensure we do not exceed it. When we reach shore our catch is tallied to ensure we have not misrepresented ourselves. We face prosecution and the loss of our licenses if we have. As a side note, bear in mind that the quota, though it seems large to you, is currently too small. Even with us taking 4%-5% of the population it hsa been increasing at an average rate of 12% per year. It sshould be higher but the primary reason it isn't is international pressure. We have kept it low to maintain good relationships with countries like those in the EU so that we don't damage the market for our products. If that market is gone we no longer have that pressure and can therefore start culling the correct number of animals, likely starting with a mass cull to thin the herd dramtically in one year. This means more animals than are currently killed. Second, we pay a portion of the proceeds from our catch to fund the the monitoring that currently occurs. That's right, we pay for it, not the animal rights groups. However, if we aren't making money off it and aren't bringing them to market there will be no monitoring. There will also be no closely guarded tally of pelts to ensure that the numbers we say we've killed are in fact correct. Instead, the carcasses will remain at sea and we will simply have to provide anecdotal evidence of the numbers we've killed. Not the most reliable monitoring system. Third, the methods of dispatching these animals have long been a bone of great contention. While the EU may have previously been able to wield some influence on this issue they can do so no longer. The "humane" way of killing them will be whatever the Canadian governement decides it is. What the EU should have doen was require that all animals be killed in a certain manner and under a certain quota system before it would allow products from the industry into its markets. Instead it has merely said , "We don't care how you kill them or how many you kill, we are not, under any circumstances, allowing your produts into our countries." Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that mean that they have removed themselves from the issue completely? What possible influence could theyhave over the issue now? All they can do is rant and rave, which won't upset us greatly because it is all bark and no bite at this point. They are like the bee with one sting. The threat of the sting is what gives it power. Once the sting is used the power is gone. I promise you, I care more about seals than any of you. The fate of my family, industry, and community have been intimately linked with the welfare of these animals for the past 350 years. All the EU has done is harm me, my family, and my community while doing absolutely nothing for the seals. Well, not exactly nothing, I guess they've removed the limitations on how many of them can be killed and the manner in which they can be killed. I hope that's how they measure the success of their latest move because if it isn't then they achieved nothing more than a concurrent surge in public opinion and a monumental failure in animal welfare. Not exactly the hallmarks of great legislation...
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Concerned Canadian, First of all: you are referring to me as ?people like yourself?. It seems to me like you are putting me in some camp and I doubt if I belong there. I always try to look at things from different sides and that makes it difficult for me to choose sides in an extreme way. I believe in building bridges instead of splitting people into different camps. If people try to understand each other, much has been won imo. But I think you are right when you say that I am unable to predict the consequences of the ban. To be honest: I know very little about the seal hunt, besides the bloody pictures. I have tried to follow the discussions in this section, but I got sick (and I mean sick) of reading them, not because of these bloody pictures, but because of the disrespect, the judging, the condemning, the prejudices etc. etc. between the ?discussants?. So I stopped reading them. I have done nothing for the seals. I haven?t been able to form an opinion about the hunt. I don?t think I misinterpreted what you wrote. I just thought I sensed some threat in it and was afraid the seals would become the victim of your anger at the EU. I do understand this anger. I am reassured now that you won?t let the seals become a victim of it. I do understand your point about the monitoring that will disappear. And I do understand your point about the EU having lost their influence because of the ban. I even understand the overpopulation is a problem which should be dealt with somehow. My only hope is that you and your colleagues and your government, now that you are free to do it ?your way? instead of being controlled by the EU, will take your own responsibility to treat the animals in a humane way. Perhaps in the end, things will even become better for everyone. It seems like you have done your work, living in fear of prosecution because of rules made by ignorant outsiders (I am exaggerating to try to make my point clear), which isn?t a good thing. Perhaps you will find better ways now that you are free to follow your heart. I am an optimist. I believe in the goodness of people. And I have the impression you live very close to nature and have the same respect for the animals the Native Americans had. I have always admired the respect they had for the animals.
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When you listen to fools, the mob rules - Black Sabbath Article from The Economist
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Thank you, magneateau, for posting this link. I don?t think the article is completely unbiased, but I must admit I have had the same thoughts about a possible relation between the ban and the upcoming elections. And it brings me to my passion: in my opinion money, power, control, play a central role in this world instead of love and true care for all the living creatures. I am not talking about individuals, but about governments, authorities, politics etc. In my opinion the big change should be that we all open our hearts for each other. Done that, we won?t be able to treat each other (human or animal) without true respect. I am sure many people try to accomplish this in different ways. But there is always the pitfall, especially when we are trying to accomplish this in rather extreme or rigid ways, that it will create splitting instead of bringing people together. So we make things even worse. It will lead to a need of more control, more rules. But I can?t make you treat others with true love and true respect, as you can?t make me treat others with true love and true respect. No matter how many rules we make. You will have to work at opening your heart and I will have to work at opening my heart. And we will only do so when we realize creating world peace isn?t the responsibility of only the vips of this world, it is your and my responsibility as well. I came across a quote the other day that says it all for me:
"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.? Rabbi Israel Salanter
So I work mainly at changing me. I know I am a dreamer.
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As a Canadian, I've been conscious of the situation of the Newfoundland Sealers, and have been tarred with the same brush, although I live on the other side of the continent. I have encountered Europeans and Americans who revile the Seal Hunt but seem to be totally unaware of Animal Rights issues in their own back yard. I have seen the Seal Hunt misrepresented by these people, and heard total rubbish stated as scientific fact. Europeans have banned seal products. Good for them. That means the end of the cynical "Animal Rights Activists" who have used this Hunt as a way to raise funds, or as a soap box to curry favour with people who don't know any better. Here's a video of some Anti-Sealing Activists going about saving the Baby Seals...
And some rather candid comments about the Seal Hunt by that Champion anti-Sealing Activist -- Paul Watson. Now that you have won your victory, I would make a suggestion to show your sincerity about the plight of the seals: Sir Paul McCartney, lobby now, and invest capital to establish an eco-tourism site in Newfoundland so that it will be in the best interests of the people of Newfoundland to not cull the Seal Herd; Europeans and Americans: ban your Atlantic Fishing Fleets from fishing in those waters -- let the seal herd have your share of the fish. You do care about the Harp Seals, don't you? -
Maybe there is a thread already discussing this, but I am so embarrassed to be a Canadian, and disgusted with our Governer General Mikael Jean, who ate a raw seal heart to show her solidarity for the seal hunt!!!
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One of the many reasons for being vegetarian is to save the seals. Humans do not need to eat fish. Yes, some of us genuinely care and are not the cynical hypocrites that so many Canadians seem to want to portray us as.
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Source: http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/politique/200906/28/01-879608-charest-pret-a-revoir-la-methode-de-la-chasse-aux-phoques.php Quebec Prime Minisiter says he is ready to review the seal hunting method. Hopeful to calm the indignation of Europeans, Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest is ready to consider a review of the much debated seal hunt method. Mr. Charest discussed the sensitive issue with Stavros Dimasm, Commissioner for Environment with the European Commission [who by the way can be contacted at stavros.dimas@ec.europa.eu stavros.dimas@ec.europa.eu]. The PM said he wanted to ensure to smooth out the irritants that had brought the European Union to ban the seal products earlier this spring. The main irritant being the fact the animals are clubbed, a method historically denounced by animal advocates and celebraties like Brigitte Bardot and Paul McCartney and many politicians indignant at the pictures showing baby seals covered with blood agonizing on the ice field. PM says it's not true that we (Quebecers) hunt baby seals but the image endured. He says it's a matter of perception but a false one? I forwarded the article to PETA.
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Hi France 8, I don't know that changing the method in which the seals are killed will do anything to mollify animal rights activists, although we sealers have offered to consider this in the past. The whole "clubbing" controversy is really a smoke screen. You might be interested to know that only a very small number of them, typically 5% or less, are killed in this manner. The majority of them are shot with a rifle the same as wild animals in Europe. In 30 years of going to the ice I have never seen a seal clubbed. Every animal I ever saw killed was killed with a rifle. Unfortunately for the seals a number of veterinary studies have concluded that the hakapik, a Norwegian tool adopted by Canadian sealers, is the most efficient and humane method of dispatching the animals. The problem is that it looks brutal and though the graphics of it may be disturbing they are also misleading. It is easy to convince people with pictures and make them believe this is cruel and heartless. The reality is, it is crueler to shoot them than club them but many of us refuse to adopt that method simply to avoid creating more controversy. In fact, just last year we offered to ban the hakapik completely and use only rifles. The response from animal rights groups was overwhelming and instantaneous. They were againast banning the hakapik because they acknowledged that it was the more humane method. At the same time, they use the images of seals being killed with this tool to convince the world of it's brutality. Odd isn't it? No doubt they have scored a victory in terms of shutting down markets. The sad thing is, alll this has achieved is to ensure that the animal will be killed solely for population control and that none of the carcass will be used, other than what can be sold in local markets. The bulk of it will simply remain on the ice or in the water for the scavengers. It is a tragic waste of an individual animal's life and a horrible waste of a viable, renewable resource. In a world filled with stories of animal populations being wiped out, stocks being overfished, and rural communities dying, we were a success. Tiny remote communities like mine managed this animal population for the last 400 years and both the animals and the humans thrived. The population has been stronger these past years than they have been in decades. Instead of receiving praise and commendation for our success we receive hate mail, death threats, and ridicule. No doubt some will have a knee jerk reaction and be dismissive of my comments but if they wre truly interested they'd look beyond the propaganda spread by extreme animal rights groups and do some real research. I hold little hope for that as most people seem to accept as fact everything put forward by groups like the IFAW or the Sea Shepherd society. I guess it's easier to accept than to challenge....
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Hi Concerned Canadian, When you sign "Everything I eat is 100% organic. I just happen to kill it myself...", it's good that you it 100% organic but it would be even better if you did it without killing any sentient being. "All sentient beings, humans or nonhuman, have one right: the basic right not to be treated as the property of others."(Gary Francione ) Humans have to stop overexploitation of non human beings. Exploitation of non human beings is at the root of the Earth devastation. I'm also a concerned "Canadian".
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I guess the fat lady has not sung yet. [Seal hunt ban suspended[/color">.](http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE67I4TV20100819]<span style=)
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This life is so cold and cruel, even the baby seals suffer.
