Canada failing to meet seal hunt standards
Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, September 03, 2008

On July 23, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation banning the trading of seal products (from the Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt) within, into and from the European Union. This proposal is in response to a written Declaration signed by 425 members of the European Parliament in September '06, requesting that the European Commission produce a legislative proposal for a ban on seal products.

According to the criteria put forth, Canada's commercial seal hunt does not meet the requirements for derogation. Some of the criteria for appraising the adequacy of the legislative provisions in force are: There is no mention of animal welfare in Canada's marine mammal regulations or under any existing condition of licence or other regulations.

As for verifying insensibility and death by using appropriate monitoring methods, Canada does not fulfil this requirement. Sealers fail to perform "eye blink reflex" tests prior to skinning a seal. This is mandatory.

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Font:****Bleeding out of stunned animals? Canada fails. Hunting conditions? Canada allows hunting while in a moving sea vessel. More inhumane killing practices.

Training of hunters? Sealers learn from experienced sealers and must hold an assistant sealer's licence for two years.

There is no way of ensuring good practices rather than bad are passed on. Canada fails again.

Statistical information on the hunt, instances of non-compliance with requirements is compiled and systemized. Canada doesn't comply with this requirement to the degree outlined either.

This is only the tip of the iceberg on such requirements and is shameful, if not disgusting what our government is doing to these mammals. After reading about Newfoundland's remarkable turnaround -- "with a province suddenly awash in petro dollars" (July 21), I find this infuriating that such cruelty still takes place today.

Chrissy Vanderheide-Stolarski

Windsor