EU bans seal trade

[recyclinage]

EU bans seal trade despite Ottawa protests

(AFP) - 1 hour ago

BRUSSELS - European Union countries ratified the ban on seal products on Monday, despite threats by the Canadian government to seize the World Trade Organization (WTO).

EU foreign ministers have endorsed the ban approved in May by the European Parliament without debate, the Swedish EU presidency announced.

Three countries (Denmark, Romania and Austria) abstained from the vote, all the others voted for.

The embargo will take effect for the next hunting season in 2010. The closure of EU markets is in addition to embargoes already imposed by the United States and Mexico, Canada's main trading partners.

The EU trade ban on seal products was the 7th point in a list of decisions that need to be formally approved in order to come into effect.

The Canadian authorities had invited the European countries the day before to reconsider this ban and threatened to seize the World Trade Organization "if the EU does not provide any" acceptable exemption "for Canadian hunting.

"Canada has clearly honored its obligations and our position is that any ban on products derived from humane hunting, as practiced in Canada, is completely unjustifiable," Trade Ministers Stockwell Day said in a statement. of Gail Shea Fisheries.

The European Parliament voted last May in favor of a ban on the import and sale of seal products in the EU to protest against a hunt deemed "disgusting", thus validating an agreement already concluded between the states members of the European Union.

Europe only allows the "non-profit" sale of products from traditional hunting practiced by Inuit communities.

Ottawa authorized the slaughter of 338.000 seals this year, saying the survival of the species was in no way threatened. However, hunting was less important due to a decline in markets.

Canada, Greenland and Namibia kill 60% of the 900.000 seals slaughtered each year. The other hunting countries are Norway, Iceland, Russia and the United States.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More "
Add News to your iGoogle Homepage Add News to your iGoogle Home Page
AFP

A seal
Map

google news source

[recyclinage]

after all ,...

seal you !!!!

[Other]

Hello

The first responsible are those who buy the products
whether caribou antlers, elephant tusks, shark fins, horn powder ect ..

For many years the decrease in the commercial fishery was attributed to the increase in seals and the increase in seals was attributed to the decrease in bears, the increase in Cariboux to the decrease in wolves ??

Sometimes when I am stopped at a traffic light next to a Volvo truck filled with pigs specially designed for this purpose, I no longer have the taste of eating pork.

Andre

[recyclinage]

EU seal ban: Ottawa takes WTO action

(AFP) - 3 hours ago

OTTAWA - Canada to Request World Trade Organization (WTO) to Consult with the European Union on the Union's Decision to Ban Trade in Seal Products, Trade Minister Announced Monday international, Stockwell Day.

"We are disappointed with this decision. We firmly believe that it violates WTO standards" because "Canadian hunting follows the conditions established by the European Union itself," Day said during the meeting. a press conference.

"It is unjustifiable that a business decision is not based on scientific facts and for this reason we are announcing today that we are going to appeal this decision," he added.

EU foreign ministers endorsed a ban on seal products on Monday, despite threats from the Canadian government, the lead country, to take the WTO to court.

Three countries (Denmark, Romania and Austria) abstained from the vote, all the others voted for.

The embargo will come into effect for the next hunting season, in 2010, and Europe will only allow the "non-profit" sale of products from traditional hunting practiced by the Inuit.

The regulation "specifically prohibits the marketing of products from the sustainable and humane commercial whaling and the Canadian government considers this to be a violation of the EU's commitments to the WTO," said for her part, the Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea.

"We expected the EU to act based on science rather than disinformation" practiced, she said, by "professional anti-seal lobbyists."

Consultations at the WTO will begin 60 days after the presentation of the Canadian request, which will be made "over the next few weeks," the Canadian government said in a statement.

"If there is no agreement, we will appeal (to a dispute settlement group, created by the WTO)," Day said.

The new request for consultations is linked to an existing dispute. In July 2007, Canada launched WTO consultations with Belgium and the Netherlands regarding the embargo that these countries had imposed on seal products. These consultations, held in November 2007, did not resolve the issue.

Ottawa authorized the slaughter of 338.000 seals this year, saying the survival of the species was in no way threatened. However, hunting had been reduced due to a drop in markets.

In 2009, the hunt brought in about $ 10 million for Canadian hunters, said Day, adding that in general, Canadian hunters made 25% of their sales from products sold in Europe.

google news source

[recyclinage]

Seal battle between Europe and Canada

The Tribune.com - 27 / 07 / 2009 | 17: 00 - 259 words

Toolbox of the article:
Share this article with my professional network on VIADEO Share on FaceBook Share on Scoopeo Share on Technorati Share on Digg Share on del.icio.us Share on Google

Toolbox of the article:
printable version
The sale of seal products will be banned in 2010 within the European Union, Canada, one of the main exporting countries concerned by this decision, will seize the World Trade Organization.
Canada

Canada will follow through on its threat and ask the World Trade Organization (WTO) to open consultations with the European Union (EU) on its decision to ban the sale of seal products as of 2010. " We are disappointed with this decision. We firmly believe that it violates WTO standards, "said Minister for International Trade Stockwell Day. "It is unjustifiable that a business decision is not based on scientific facts."

Foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries endorsed the ban on Monday after receiving the green light from the European Parliament by a large majority in May. The meat, oil, fat, organs or skin of these marine mammals are particularly concerned. Even if the seal populations concerned are not in danger, the EU wishes to prevent cruel hunting methods which do not guarantee instant death.

Thus, two exceptions are foreseen: one is linked to traditional forms of hunting and the other is the result of the harvest of seals in order to regulate fish stocks. The Canadian hunting method, "which follows the conditions established by the European Union itself," according to Ottawa, has not, however, been granted a waiver.

Canada has authorized the slaughter of 338.000 seals this year, a quota that was not reached due to declining global demand. It is one of the main exporting countries of derived products, with Greenland and Namibia. These three countries kill 60% of the 900.000 seals slaughtered worldwide each year.

the forum news source