Parliamentary questions answered...
Minister Bot (Foreign Affairs) and Minister Veerman (Agriculture) have finally answered a number of parliamentary questions on the prohibition of the import and trade in seal products. Yesterday afternoon their response to these questions was posted on the website of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. The most important issue was whether these parliamentarians would be prepared to implement a system to exclude the import of seal products similar to the one that was introduced in Belgium last year.
In a nutshell, the Belgian system entails that all seal products can only be imported with a permit, but in reality no permits are ever issued. This is the first step towards a general import ban. At present, a Belgian proposal for a law forbidding the use of and trade in articles made of seal fur is under discussion.
In answer to the Dutch parliamentary questions, Minister Veerman - also on behalf of Minister Bot - argues that he is, in principle, prepared to propose that the Netherlands also introduces measures to restrict the import of seal products, from countries outside of the EU as well as from other member states. On the face of it, this seems pretty promising. However, unfortunately they are a few catches. Firstly, these politicians seek refuge in existing WTO arrangements. They state that all measures to restrict the import of seal products should be in accordance with European and international law. They point to the fact that Canada has already expressed its concerns about the legitimacy of the proposed Belgian legislation. This is no surprise given that it would close off a market for all products of the commercial seal hunt. Secondly, the Ministers believe that there should be an increase in the trade in seal products in the Netherlands to warrant such a ban. They state that 'the import from third countries is virtually absent'. True enough, the Netherlands has not been the direct receiver of unprocessed seal skins in recent years. These pelts generally end up in Norway for processing. Most pelts are then imported into the EU through Denmark and Greece. What happens after that is hard to say. The internal EU trade in seal skins and the clothing and other items in which they are transformed into is extremely difficult to trace. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that fur - no matter what the animal it derives from - is not included in the Dutch regulations for the production and labelling of textile articles. In the Netherlands, there is no legal obligation for manufacturers and retailers to declare that seal fur - or any other fur - is included in their products. One thus cannot say that no seal fur ever enters the country.
From their answers to these parliamentary questions, it is clear that the ministers think that it is far too expensive and a nusiance to establish regulations for seal fur. They don't regard is as being a Dutch problem. Of course, I beg to differ. The national borders should be legally sealed for the import of all seal products. Moreover, a clear message should be sent to Canada by instituting a ban on seal fur on moral grounds. On the basis of a clause in the EC treaty, it is possible to ban trade in goods to protect public morality. The results of our survey that were published yesterday clearly show that the Dutch people firmly support such an import ban and this is all because they deem killing seals for their fur to be morally reprehensible.
In a nutshell, the Belgian system entails that all seal products can only be imported with a permit, but in reality no permits are ever issued. This is the first step towards a general import ban. At present, a Belgian proposal for a law forbidding the use of and trade in articles made of seal fur is under discussion.
In answer to the Dutch parliamentary questions, Minister Veerman - also on behalf of Minister Bot - argues that he is, in principle, prepared to propose that the Netherlands also introduces measures to restrict the import of seal products, from countries outside of the EU as well as from other member states. On the face of it, this seems pretty promising. However, unfortunately they are a few catches. Firstly, these politicians seek refuge in existing WTO arrangements. They state that all measures to restrict the import of seal products should be in accordance with European and international law. They point to the fact that Canada has already expressed its concerns about the legitimacy of the proposed Belgian legislation. This is no surprise given that it would close off a market for all products of the commercial seal hunt. Secondly, the Ministers believe that there should be an increase in the trade in seal products in the Netherlands to warrant such a ban. They state that 'the import from third countries is virtually absent'. True enough, the Netherlands has not been the direct receiver of unprocessed seal skins in recent years. These pelts generally end up in Norway for processing. Most pelts are then imported into the EU through Denmark and Greece. What happens after that is hard to say. The internal EU trade in seal skins and the clothing and other items in which they are transformed into is extremely difficult to trace. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that fur - no matter what the animal it derives from - is not included in the Dutch regulations for the production and labelling of textile articles. In the Netherlands, there is no legal obligation for manufacturers and retailers to declare that seal fur - or any other fur - is included in their products. One thus cannot say that no seal fur ever enters the country.
From their answers to these parliamentary questions, it is clear that the ministers think that it is far too expensive and a nusiance to establish regulations for seal fur. They don't regard is as being a Dutch problem. Of course, I beg to differ. The national borders should be legally sealed for the import of all seal products. Moreover, a clear message should be sent to Canada by instituting a ban on seal fur on moral grounds. On the basis of a clause in the EC treaty, it is possible to ban trade in goods to protect public morality. The results of our survey that were published yesterday clearly show that the Dutch people firmly support such an import ban and this is all because they deem killing seals for their fur to be morally reprehensible.
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