Trade in seal products: conditions for placing on the market

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the report by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 on trade in seal products.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal as follows:

Conditions for placing on the market: as regards the IC exception (products from hunts conducted by Inuit or other indigenous communities), Members stated that the placing on the market of seal products shall be allowed only where the seal products result from hunts conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities, provided that the following conditions are all satisfied:

• the hunt has traditionally been conducted by the community and remains a part of the culture and identity of that community;
• the hunt is conducted for and contributes to subsistence of the community, including in order to provide food and income to support life and sustainable livelihood, and is not conducted primarily for commercial reasons;
• the hunt is conducted in a manner, which has due regard to animal welfare and takes into consideration the traditional way of life and the subsistence needs of the community.

Hunting for commercial purposes: Members stressed that the Commission may adopt measures on the basis of evidence, if the conditions for placing seal products on the market in the Union are not complied with, for example if the seal hunt is not conducted for subsistence needs and is primarily commercial. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in order to limit or prohibit the placement on the market and the quantity of products resulting from that hunt.

Public information: the report included a new Article which refers to the need to ensure, at a reasonable and non-excessive cost, that the public is informed that the seal products placed on the market originating from hunts conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities comply with applicable legal rules.

Awareness-raising campaigns on this issue are also conducted under Objective II set out in the Regulation on a multiannual consumer programme for the years 2014-2020.

Reporting: the proposed amendment lays down new deadlines for the Commission and the Member States.

By 31 December 2016 and every four years thereafter, Member States shall submit to the Commission a report outlining the actions taken to implement this Regulation. The Commission shall submit a report on the implementation of this Regulation within 12 months of the end of each reporting period referred to in the Regulation. The first report shall be submitted by 31 December 2017.

In its assessment the Commission shall, in particular, take into consideration the socio-economic development, nutrition, culture and identity of the Inuit and other indigenous communities, as well as the environmental and socio-economic effects of this Regulation in areas where seal hunts are conducted by coastal communities as part of maritime resource management.