In Challenge to Canada, Europe Bans Seal Trade

This is great news for the seals! The NYT reports here that the European Union's Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to ban all trade in seal products. See also the Humane Society's Victory For Seals! The European Union Bans the Trade in Seal Products.

We must remain vigilant. With generous government subsidies, the Canadian sealing industry may soon develop new markets for seal products. We must ensure that other nations follow the example set by the EU. The ProtectSeals campaign is working in several key countries already to ensure that there is nowhere left for the Canadian sealing industry to market its products.

To provide an economic incentive for the government to act, a global boycott of Canadian seafood products was launched in the U.S. in 2005. Since that boycott began, the Canadian fishing industry has suffered a $750 million (CAD) drop in the value of snow crab exports alone to the United States.

But this is great news anyway and time to celebrate this achievement. Congratulations to the European Union's Parliament are in order!