Norway’s Seal Slaughter Taken off Life Support
Supporters of seals in Norway will be sleeping a little easier tonight. After the Norwegian Parliament removed a $1.6 million subsidy to the commercial seal slaughter from its 2015 budget, news reports suggest that most of the country’s sealers are calling it quits. Without public funding—which accounted for about 80 percent of the sealers’ revenue—killing seals is no longer worth their time.
Norway’s decision to cut subsidies came on the heels of a failed bid, in conjunction with Canada, to overturn the EU’s ban on seal products. Before the World Trade Organization (WTO) appeals process, Joan Jett hand-delivered a letter on PETA’s behalf to Norway’s foreign minister urging him to make the hearings public. Iggy Pop also sent a letter to the foreign minister on PETA’s behalf saying, “If Norway has nothing to hide, there should be no problem making the process public.”
The world has turned its back on cruel seal products, and as in Norway, the commercial seal slaughter in Canada exists only because of government intervention. Canada spent an estimated $10 million fighting the EU ban, and it continues to spend millions more in support of the seal industry.
Canada’s seal slaughter is on life support, and it’s time to pull the plug. Let Canadian officials know that you want them to follow Norway’s lead. Ask Canada to end the seal slaughter and help transition sealers into other industries.
