http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Paul+McCartney+calls+Canada+seal+hunt/1526581/story.html

OTTAWA - Canadian politicians and scientists signed a declaration
Thursday defending the Canadian sea hunt, as former Beatle Paul
McCartney called on the European Parliament to adopt a seal trade ban.

Members of the European Parliament will vote in a couple of weeks on
whether to implement a ban on seal products in the European Union.
Critics of the hunt argue it is an animal cruelty issue, while
advocates say it is part of Canadian heritage.

The Universal Declaration on the Ethical Harvest of Seals argues it is
"natural" for people to hunt animals as part of the food chain. The
declaration, drafted in response to a growing movement in Europe
against the hunt, can be found at sealsonline.org.

"There has been a propaganda campaign with millions of dollars spent
in Europe and it's just a vegetarian lobby," said Quebec Senator
Celine Hervieux-Payette, one of the signatories. "I'm not starting a
campaign for people to stop eating vegetables."

The signatories included veterinarians and politicians.

Hervieux-Payette slammed activists like McCartney, who argue the hunt
is barbaric and cruel.

"As far as I'm concerned we have highly ethical standards," she said.
"We developed the declaration so we are on a common ground with highly
ethical standards and to relieve this image that Canadians are
barbarians."

McCartney, a British singer and animal rights activist, signed a
document as well Thursday - a petition online at BanSealTrade.eu that
calls on the European Parliament to adopt the seal trade ban.

The petition is organized by two non-profit organizations - the Humane
Society International and Respect for Animals - and is aimed at
lobbying Members of the European Parliament to vote in favour of the
ban.

"The fate of millions of seal pups is in the hands of elected Members
of the European Parliament," McCartney said in a statement. "In the
next few weeks, they will have a historic opportunity to stop the
cruel trade in seal products throughout the European Union."

McCartney has long been a supporter of the seal protection campaign,
and visited the harp seal hunt off Canada's east coast in 2006.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has set the quota this year at
280,000 harp seals. The harp seal population is estimated at more than
5.5 million.

There is also a quota of 50,000 grey seals and 8,200 hooded seals.

Many fishermen have said market conditions and low prices for pelts
this year may keep them from participating in the hunt.