Brussels, 25/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The verdict of the WTO has been welcomed by the Commission and the Greens Group at the European Parliament. Canada is to appeal against it.
The special group of the WTO, which was set up by request of Canada and Norway to rule on their complaint against the ban on the import and sales of seal products in the EU (DS 431), ruled on 25 November that this embargo contravenes fair trade, but that these restrictions are justified due to “public moral concerns” regarding animal welfare.
“The WTO panel rejected the allegations made by Canada and Norway and confirmed that the ban is justified for moral reasons. The EU rules were adopted to give a voice to the concerns of European citizens”, the Commission responded in a press release.
Although it accepts that the exemption for seal products from traditional Inuit hunting can be justified as it responds to an internationally recognised requirement to preserve Inuit culture, the special group took the view, however, that it was formulated and applied in a discriminatory fashion, as Canadian Inuits are not currently benefiting from it. The EU denies that it is responsible for this shortcoming. “The EU supports and continues to believe that the fact that Canadian Inuit have not so far used the exemption cannot be attributed to the EU or its embargo”, said the European executive, promising to analyse the WTO verdict in detail. Canada has announced its intention to appeal.
The text which came under fire from Ottawa and Oslo is regulation 1007/2009/EC, which has imposed a total ban since August 2010 on imports and sales of seal products, with a single derogation for the sale of products from traditional hunting practised by indigenous communities for subsistence purposes.
Greens satisfied. “Fundamentally, the WTO panel has ruled that the EU's embargo is justified by public moral concerns. If this verdict is upheld, it will be a turning point for the protection and rights of animals on the conservation of animal species”, said MEP Carl Schlyter (Greens, Sweden). “The Greens pushed for the EU to bring in this ban, following the success of embargoes brought in by Belgium and the Netherlands, to ensure that it plays a proactive role in eradicating this cruel treatment for commercial purposes across the world”, he added.
For its part, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation welcomed this as a “historic verdict of the WTO, as the organisation has now recognised animal welfare as a moral and societal concern which can justify binding commercial measures”. “The EU is acting within its rights to refuse to import and sell products from whale hunting. It has already done so regarding dog and cat pelts without China appealing to the WTO”, the Foundation concludes. (EH/transl.fl)