Muskoka Outdoors

A proposed ban that will probably impact Canada’s 5.5 million dollar seal product industry has been passed by an EU panel. It still needs to pass approval of the entire EU assembly and EU governments to become law (April 1). The International Herald Tribune reports that,

Members of the parliament’s internal market and consumer protection committee’s voted 25-7 to endorse a bill that would impose a tight ban on the import of all seal products to the 27-nation bloc. Entire Article Here

The panel members have ‘caved’ to the emotional outbursts of animal rights groups who claim the hunting of seals is inhumane. Sure, these groups splash pictures and video of hunters using a hakapik (a spiked club) to kill the seals but they don’t tell you this is the exception to rule. Most sealers use firearms (to ensure humane kills) and will follow-up quickly (possibly with a club) to ensure that the animal is dead before processing.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (in 2002), has already determined the hunt to be humane. Their report states,

The conclusion is that the large majority of seals taken during this hunt (at best, 98% in work reported here) are killed in an acceptably humane manner. However, the small proportion of animals that are not killed effectively justifies continued attention to this hunt on the part of the veterinary profession. Entire Sealing Report Here

Why does this ruling matter? After all, it is just a seal.

It matters because the issue is not humane kill versus inhumane kill. It is about killing animals period. To Animal Rights groups – any animal killed is inhumane. The seals are a cute target and ‘marketing’ rallying point.

If government panels can be swayed like the EU panel, how long will it be until the slaughter of cattle becomes inhumane? How long until chicken or turkey slaughter is inhumane? All of these products are enjoyed by all nations of the world but because the killing and blood letting is done behind closed barn doors and not on white ice flows and YouTube -  the hypocrisy of this ruling goes unchallenged by many in the EU.

Enjoy your Christmas turkey dinner people. With sealing possibly out of the picture, you can bet turkey, steak and venison will be next to target off the menu.

The  changes are not big, but I am sure it is an attempt to appease anti-seal hunting banter about the hunt that has caused the EU to stiffen their import regulations. An article on the CBC website summarizes that the,

“…new regulations that will slow down the controversial seal hunt by forcing sealers to take more time ensuring the mammals are dead before skinning.” Entire Article Here

Supposedly, a more humane hunt is what anti-sealing groups want. Yet despite the  new minor changes that include:

• restricted/banned use of the hakapik, a spiked club (now the primitive weapons can only be used on animals that have already been shot)
• elimination of the ‘blink test’ to confirm the seal is unconscious and implementation of a new regulation that makes the seal hunters check that the seal’s cranium is cracked and the seal must be bled for at least one minute before skinning

some anti-seal hunting groups are not satisfied. This is not surprising because the real agenda is to completely ban the managed hunting of seals. Even before the regulation changes were added a report, by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association in 2002, says the following about the Canadian hunt,

The conclusion is that the large majority of seals taken during this hunt (at best, 98% in work reported here) are killed in an acceptably humane manner. However, the small proportion of animals that are not killed effectively justifies continued attention to this hunt on the part of the veterinary profession. Entire Sealing Report Here

All the hype seems to be over 2% of the seals killed. Don’t get me wrong, if you are going to hunt animals that are part of a scientifically managed hunt – it MUST be done as humanely as possible. I think that Canada’s seal hunters have demonstrated that (at least according to the report above) they are making a humane hunt a priority.

You can be sure that this is something that anti-sealing groups won’t tell you. They might lose a reason to make their naked celebrity calendars…

CBC news reports that the European Union will ban seal products that involve ‘unnecessary pain’. The CBC website shares that,

It’s unclear exactly what the EU’s standard for humane killing would be, but seal products from countries that “practise hunting methods that involve unnecessary pain,” also referred to as “cruel hunting,” will not be allowed into the 27-nation bloc, EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement. Entire CBC Article Here

The article also shares that Canada’s sealers hope they will be exempt from this legislation. They ALREADY strive for humane hunts. Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn says that,

Canada expects its “humanely conducted hunt” will be exempt from any ban. “Once again, we would like to caution European decision-makers: adopting broad regulations to ban products from a responsible, sustainable and well-regulated hunt is a slippery slope,”

A visit to Canada’s sealing website provides a link to a report done by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association in 2002. This report says the following about the Canadian hunt,

The conclusion is that the large majority of seals taken during this hunt (at best, 98% in work reported here) are killed in an acceptably humane manner. However, the small proportion of animals that are not killed effectively justifies continued attention to this hunt on the part of the veterinary profession. Entire Sealing Report Here

This EU legislation has the fingerprints of extreme animal rights groups mis-information. Canadians are NOT opposed to the killing of animals – unless we are considered to be cruel when we enjoy a plate of chicken wings.

I don’t think the chickens enjoy the bloody process of being killed any more than the seals do.

The leaders in the EU (that are involved in this legislation) are making a huge disconnect between the process of where the meat comes from on their sausage counters.

It’s only a matter of time before these animal rights groups target deli meats and T-bone steaks.

I was interested in a news article from the Guardian Weekly in the UK. I saw it in my google alerts and apparently Canadians are against the annual seal hunt. Curious about this claim, I clicked on it to see what this was about.

After all, I am Canadian and I am not against the seal hunt.

The article shares the thoughts of an anti-seal hunting organization by interviewing a key figure in that organization. In the article, I read the following line,

The majority of Canadians across the country may want the hunt banned, but because of key marginal seats in fishing constituencies in the east, it would take a brave politician to stand up and call for an end to it. Entire Article Here

The claim that a majority of Canadians want the hunt banned is a big one. Interesting the article used the  word “may”. It would be nice to see where this claim is quantified. We MAY never know and such are the antics of anti-seal hunting groups.

In case, in the slimmest of hopes, there is some credibility to this outrageous claim, I would like to remind the public that those against the seal hunt are against the following:

• Roast beef dinners and back-yard hamburger barbecues (thousands of innocent cows are slaughtered to make this happen.
• Turkey Dinners – especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas (lets have a moment of silence for the thousands of turkeys who give their lives for us)
• Chicken Wings and Chicken Breast Sandwiches
• Bacon for breakfast
• Fishing at your cottage and shore lunches in Algonquin Park – just because there are no pictures of snow-white trout splashed across the media does not mean they don’t die to feed mankind
• Ham sandwiches
• Shrimp Rings
• Veal – Baby cows are cute right?!
• Jello – that gelatin has to come from somewhere
• Science and proven wildlife management tools – the seals are not dwindling; their numbers are on the rise

Don’t get wrapped up in the cute, baby seal faces, top-less celebrities and old-school singers who want you to call the Canadians who kill seals, cruel beings.

Those of us who enjoy the food items above have been cruel to animals. Buying our food at the supermarket has created a disconnect for many people and anti-hunting groups.

Killing animals for food is a bloody affair. How do you kill something without blood? If you need a reminder, check the wrapping of your ground beef packaging. It is too bad that anti-hunting groups splash the blood-stained snow around in the media. It is all for effect and attention. It’s like the naked celebrities they put in calendars to draw all eyes upon their cause.

One would have to wonder why such attention grabbing antics are needed if a majority of Canadians are against the seal hunt.

It’s that time of the year again. We start to see pictures of white baby seal pups and celebrities (who eat greens only or they think that their meat products are magically sealed, packaged, and delivered without bloodshed) pushing for an end to the baby killing. Continue Reading