Fisheries and Aquaculture
January 26, 2007

Government Pleased European Commission
 Will Not Draft Ban on Seal Products

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is extremely pleased that the European Commission (EC) will not be drafting a ban on seal products.

The Honourable Tom Rideout, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, said today that, �This is certainly good news for Newfoundland and Labrador and the country as a whole.  Our government welcomes this decision.�

Government has made representation to the European Union numerous times on the potential ban of seal products.  �We are pleased that our voice was heard,� said the minister.  �It appears that the EC recognizes that our seal populations are healthy and that the harvest is sustainable and humane.  Our government has put considerable effort into ensuring the misinformation regarding our annual harvest is corrected and it appears that these efforts are indeed paying off.�

Minister Rideout appeared before the European Parliament�s Delegation for Relations with Canada in October of 2006.  During that time, the provincial delegation received a briefing from the Canadian Mission to the European Union on fisheries issues including the seal harvest.  Government also hosted a visit from EU Parliamentarians later the same year. While visiting the province, the parliamentarians visited a seal processing facility in Dildo and received presentations on the seal harvest from industry representatives.  �We believe these were important steps in building relations with the European Commission,� said Minister Rideout.

The sealing industry is an economically important industry for countless coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.  It provides critical employment in fishing communities during a time of year when there may be limited employment opportunities.

�We commend the European Commission for taking this course of action at this time,� said the minister.  �Our government is pleased that they are not being swayed by the misinformation being presented by anti-sealing groups and we thank them for the opportunity to present the facts of this industry which is so important to our province.  This achievement demonstrates that our government�s partnership with the sealing industry and the federal government is paying off in addressing seal harvest issues.�

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Media contact:
Lori Lee Oates
Director of Communications
Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
709-729-3733, 690-8403
oatesll@gov.nl.ca

2007 01 26                                                        5:10 p.m.