Norway critical to EU’s seal policy
EU’s proposed ban on sales of seal product could constitute a dangerous precedent and affect trade in animal products that are harvested in a sustainable and ethical way, says the Norwegian government.
As reported by BarentsObserver.com the European Parliament voted Tuesday to ban import of all kinds of seal products, calling the seal hunting “inherently inhumane.”
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs said: - An EU ban on trade in seal products could restrict our freedom to manage our own marine resources. Norwegian sealing takes a sustainable and modern approach to harvesting marine resources. We expect the EU to take due account of the scientific basis for Norwegian sealing. The ban is a serious challenge for us as a close partner of the EU.
Norway has reiterated its willingness to cooperate with the European Commission on the development of international standards for seal hunting, the government writes on its web-site
In the European Parliament on Tuesday 550 voted for the bill while only 49 voted against.
- We should be able to expect our closest partner to engage in active and mutually binding cooperation on the management of marine resources. A ban on trade in seal products would, in our view, run counter to the EU’s international trade obligations. In order to safeguard Norwegian interests, we have therefore informed the EU that we will request consultations under the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism if the EU introduces an extensive ban, Mr Støre added.Seal hunting is an old tradition in espesially northern Norway.
Also in the Russian White Sea there is an ongoing dispute regarding seal hunting. Russian authorities want the seal hunting stopped while locals says it is a long and needed tradition, as reported by BarentsObserver.com last winter.
-The ban will pose a serious threat to the centuries-old Pomor fishing tradition. The authorities do not help the indigenous population in Pomor villages, they instead try to please ecologists. What is happening now, is that they are literally strangling the Pomors, leader of the local Pomor community, Mr. Pavel Osipov, said.
In the White Sea area, the hunting of baby seals has been strongly critizised. Earlier this winter Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the hunting of baby seals “a bloody industry.”
- It is clear that baby seal hunting should have been banned a long time ago, Putin said at a meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources in February this year, reported by BarentsObserver.com.
