Austrian Chancellor signals support for a national ban on seal products

“A national trade ban for seal products in Austria would be a clear signal to Canada that Austria wants no part of Canada’s cruel and inhumane commercial seal hunt,” says Dr. Ralf Sonntag, Director of IFAW’s German Office. “In addition, an Austrian seal ban would be a huge step towards securing a European-wide trade ban,” he added.
 
Recently, there has been strong opposition to this hunt and many nations have taken action to stop the trade of seal products in Europe. Belgium and The Netherlands both passed national bans following the European Parliament’s resolution in support of an EU-wide trade ban.
 
National trade bans also exist in the United States and Mexico. In addition, Germany, Italy and France are all making legislative steps towards implementing trade bans. IFAW continues to urge other governments as well as the European Parliament to close their markets to products derived from commercial seal hunts.