The Pros And Cons Of Seals
Every year approximately 900.000 seals were killed on commercial slaughters, carried out primarily in Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Norway. In 2009 the Humane Society International organization began a campaign against such atrocity. That same year, the European Union decided to implement a ban on the importation and commercialization of processed or unprocessed, deriving or obtained seal products in response to public moral concerns about seals welfare.
Canada and Norway (complainants) filed a complaint to the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization against the European Communities (respondents) claiming they were discriminating their producers, insisting their seals were killed ethically. Moreover, Canada argued that Canadian
authorities already had placed strict regulations towards the seal hunting industry. The World Trade Organization ruled in favor of the respondents which concluded on complainants filing for an appeal. The appellate committee upheld the initial ruling issued, even though the ban had been discriminatory it yet had fulfilled the EU’s public moral concerns.
Seal products are still allowed on the European Union market only if they come from certain “indigenous communities (such as the Inuit)” and “travellers”. These exceptions are permitted as seal hunts contribute to the subsistence and development of certain communities. It provides income and food to support their livelihood and as such, do not raise the same concerns as other seal hunts with commercial reasons. To make sure all seal products are legal; the EU obliges each product to be accompanied by an original attesting document issued only by recognized bodies authorized for that purpose by the European Commission.
In 2013, the World Trade Organization agreed on the EU ban on public morality grounds and on inherent risks to animal welfare. Such measure ended with the world largest slaughter of marine mammals. Global markets for seal products have been reducing since then. The ban success was achieved and ensured by strengthening the EU’s institutions classical advocacy with innovative and effective communications in the public eye.
Canada and Norway (complainants) filed a complaint to the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization against the European Communities (respondents) claiming they were discriminating their producers, insisting their seals were killed ethically. Moreover, Canada argued that Canadian
authorities already had placed strict regulations towards the seal hunting industry. The World Trade Organization ruled in favor of the respondents which concluded on complainants filing for an appeal. The appellate committee upheld the initial ruling issued, even though the ban had been discriminatory it yet had fulfilled the EU’s public moral concerns.
Seal products are still allowed on the European Union market only if they come from certain “indigenous communities (such as the Inuit)” and “travellers”. These exceptions are permitted as seal hunts contribute to the subsistence and development of certain communities. It provides income and food to support their livelihood and as such, do not raise the same concerns as other seal hunts with commercial reasons. To make sure all seal products are legal; the EU obliges each product to be accompanied by an original attesting document issued only by recognized bodies authorized for that purpose by the European Commission.
In 2013, the World Trade Organization agreed on the EU ban on public morality grounds and on inherent risks to animal welfare. Such measure ended with the world largest slaughter of marine mammals. Global markets for seal products have been reducing since then. The ban success was achieved and ensured by strengthening the EU’s institutions classical advocacy with innovative and effective communications in the public eye.