Animal Welfare
 The European Union is committed to the highest welfare in animal standards. To ensure that hunting or trapping methods are as humane as possible both within the European Union and also internationally, the EU has adopted legislation on animal welfare. In 1991, an EU regulation was introduced – commonly known as the Leghold trap regulation - prohibiting the use of leghold traps within the European Union and the importing of goods and products made from animal species which originate from countries that use leghold traps or other trapping methods that do not meet international trapping standards.
 Read more about the leghold trap regulation
 In 1983, the first piece of legislation on trade in seal products was passed. The aim of the legislation was to prohibit products – such as fur skins - derived from certain seal pups to be imported into the European Union.
On 16 September 2009, the European Parliament and the Council adopted a Regulation to ensure that products derived from seals are no longer found on the European market. This follows a proposal by the European Commission on 23 July 2008 to ban the trade of all seal products into and from the EU that do not meet certain animal welfare criteria.
The regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 October 2009. Limited exemptions are foreseen in the Regulation for which the Commission is asked to prepare implementing measures within the next nine months (please see below for more information).
Read more about the Seal Pups Directive (83/129/EEC)
Read more about the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council prohibiting the trade in seal products (Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009)
|
