Every year the Canadian Government sanctions the brutal slaughter of around 300,000 seal pups. Harp and hooded seals are blamed for the crash in cod stocks caused by commercial over-fishing. Despite decades of slaughter, there has been no recovery in cod stocks and the seal hunt has become a massive, obscene industry in its own right.
In 1982, the European Union banned the import of 'whitecoat' seal pup pelts. However, the hunters now simply wait a few more days for the pups to molt their white fur before killing them. The Canadian seal hunt has doubled in size since the eighties when mass protests took place on the ice floes of the Canadian Arctic.
The young seals are clubbed by hunters in front of their mothers and then skinned, in many cases still alive.
SPAG is fighting for a European Import ban on all seal products to help bring an end to this cruel atrocity.
A European seal product import ban
SPAG is supporting a campaign to ban the import of seal products into the European Union. Last year we funded the production of a lobby DVD on the Canadian Seal hunt that was given to all Euro MP’s. We are delighted to say that as a result of the campaign the European Parliament overwhelmingly backed a ban on seal imports.
The European Commission is now investigating whether killing methods are humane, which of course they are not. We intend to continue our work until a total ban on seal imports is secured.
How you can help
A public consultation on whether to ban seal products has been launched by the European Commission. You can register your support for a complete ban on imports of seal products into the EU. Please cut and paste the following link into your browser:
Unfortunately, this consultation document has a series of questions that are biased in favour of the killing of seals. Please ignore all the non-compulsory questions and simply answer 'yes' to the question that asks if you support a seal trade ban. Thank you for taking the time to do so.
Please also write to the Canadian Ambassador in your country and pledge to boycott all Canadian seafood products until sealing is ended. In the UK the address is:
Canadian High Commission Macdonald House, 1 Grosvenor Square, London W1X 0AB
Tel: 020 7258 6600 - Fax: 020 7258 6333
Please also write to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanding that the UK introduces a unilateral ban on the import of all seal products as have EU partners Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands:
Rt Hon.Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister, Downing Street, London SWIA 2AA
Thank you so much for your support. You are helping end the cruel slaughter of baby seals forever!
The Seal Protection Action Group is dedicated to the protection of
seals and their environment worldwide.
