Dear Bernard,

I have some great news! I want to share with you an important victory in our efforts to close European markets for seal products, a vital step to end Canada’s commercial seal hunt.

The European Parliament has issued a Written Declaration calling for a ban on the import, export and sales of harp and hooded seal products.  IFAW and other groups successfully lobbied more than half of all MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) to sign the resolution which will now be forwarded to the European commission and the Council of Ministers.

A European ban will help reduce demand for seal products and send an important message to the Canadian Government that the European Union wants no part in this cruel hunt.

The import of whitecoat harp seal and blueback hooded seal furs and furskin products (taken from pups younger than 2-3 weeks) was banned in Europe in 1983, but sealers now wait a few days until harp seal pups have moulted their white fur to kill them, with 95% of the seals killed still under three months old.  The products of these baby seals are still imported into the European Union.

The declaration states that the last time the annual number of seals now being killed were slaughtered in the 1950s and 1960s the seal population was reduced by two thirds.  It also states that on average sealers receive less than 5% of their income from sealing which provides only a few days' work each year.

A number of EU countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy) have already taken steps to ban the trade in seal products, and others (the UK and the Netherlands) are considering their own bans.

Please help us keep the momentum going by Taking Action to end the seal hunt today.

For the seals,

Fred O’Regan
President and CEO

P.S.  It’s critically important that we capitalize on this victory by adding new activists to fight for baby seals.  This is a great opportunity to show others that we can win this fight with their help.  Can I count on you to tell five new people about our efforts to end the seal hunt?