The cruel annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seals in Canada has resumed.
Canada's seal hunt is the largest commercial hunt of marine mammals on the planet. Despite mounting pressure from around the world to end the commercial slaughter of seals, the Canadian government authorised hunters to kill 275,000 harp seals in 2008, one of the highest quotas in recent history. Parliamentarians, journalists and scientists who observe Canada's commercial seal hunt each year continue to report unacceptable levels of cruelty, including sealers dragging conscious seals across the ice floes with boat hooks, shooting seals and leaving them to suffer in agony, stockpiling dead and dying animals and even skinning seals alive. Most seals killed are babies under three months old.
Many countries around the world have either legislated to ban the import of seal products, or have taken steps towards a ban. In September 2006, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on the European Commission to introduce legislation banning the trade in all harp and hooded seal products. The UK, along with other member states, is pressing for an EU ban, but this will take time. Our government must introduce a national trade ban until an EU ban comes into force.
Until then, readers should be aware that such seal fur will be used to make products on sale here including sporrans. Synthetic alternatives to real animal fur are increasingly available.
Ross Minett, Advocates for Animals, 10 Queensferry Street, Edinburgh.
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