EC/Canada, Russia agreement: agreement on humane trapping standards

An agreement on humane trapping initialled by the European Community, Canada and Russia was immediately denounced by the Committee, which called on Council and Commission to reject it as totally inadequate and ineffective. Adopting by 13 votes to 1 a draft resolution condemning the agreement, the committeealso called for the immediate implementation of a much-deferred ban on the import from third countries of fur from animals trapped by inhumane methods outlawed within the Union. The text, drafted by Mr Carlos PIMENTA (EPP, P), the committee's rapporteur on trapping, also calls on the President of Parliament to re-examine the decision taken by his predecessor last September not to take legal action against the Commission for failing to take action to implement the ban. It attacks the agreement on the grounds that it: * fails to offer satisfactory solutions in terms of either animal protection or trade; * permits the continued use of leghold traps in third countries for at least another four years and may allow some types of leghold traps to be classified as humane; * substantially fails to reflect the position of the EU's own scientific experts as regards the welfare of trapped species and the extent to which the traps used are selective (ie catch only the target species). The draft resolution also notes that no agreement has been reached with the United States, the other major trapping nation. Accordingly, the committee called on the Council and Commission to continue negotiations with third countries on a comprehensive agreement, including a ban on all leghold traps within a rapid and fixed timescale, the use of traps which kill in no more than 30 seconds, the use of selective trapping methods and the establishment of adequate means of enforcement without derogations. However, it also decided that the rights and interests of indigenous trappers should be guaranteed in any such agreement. �