Canada Elevates EU Ban On Seal Products To WTO

November 4, 2009 3:30 p.m. EST

Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - Canada has elevated its dispute with the European Union over the regional bloc's ban on trade in seal products by asking for a World Trade Organization consultation on the matter. The WTO consultations are the first step to settle international disputes.

Ottawa decided to bring the matter to the WTO's hands after the ban was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The publication is the last step in EU's lawmaking process, after which the ban will take effect August 2010.

Canadian Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day said in a statement, "Canada is standing up for its sealers. The EU has adopted a regulation that bans the sale of Canadian seal products. We believe that this is a violation of the EU's trade obligations. The Canadian seal hunt is a legitimate economic pursuit, and the EU's decision to ban the importation of seal products is based neither on science nor on facts."

While the EU provided for exceptions to the ban, Canadian Minister for Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl said the limited Inuit exemption does not address the aborigines' concerns. Strahl added, "Inuit groups have told us that this will do nothing to protect their access to European markets, and past experiences with such exemptions have shown is that they are not effective."