Despite pressure from the Canadian sealing industry, the European Court of Justice has ruled that the EU’s ban on seal product imports is legal. The ban prohibits seal products derived from Canada’s commercial seal slaughter, while including an exemption for products from the native Inuit hunt. The EU’s lower court tossed the challenge in 2013, noting that “the protection of animal welfare is a legitimate objective in the public interest.”
The European Court of Justice’s ruling is a major win for the tens of thousands of seals bludgeoned and shot on Canadian ice floes each year. The EU, Russia, and the U.S. have all banned seal products, and world leaders, celebrities, and kind people everywhere have spoken: The commercial seal slaughter is cruel, and it’s time for the Canadian government to end it once and for all.
What You Can Do
Although the EU ban helps eliminate a market for seal products, the annual seal slaughter still continues, despite global resistance. Take action now.
