Seal of disapproval

The Ottawa Citizen – April 15th, page A12

Red blood. White ice. The stark imagery has made seal hunting one of the most controversial jobs in the world. It has also focused negative attention on Canada, where most of the world’s seal hunting takes place. Pictures of puppy-eyed seals struck and bleeding understandably elicit emotional responses; those images have been used extensively by the anti-sealing lobby for just that reason. The images also tend to draw political action, such as the European Union’s prospective ban on seal products — but that is not as easy to understand.

Decisions that affect peoples’ livelihoods (the seal hunt currently employs upwards of 5,000 Atlantic Canadians) should be based on more than just emotion. While the seal hunt is not pretty, numerous studies have concluded that it is quick and painless and at least as humane as the methods used in commercial slaughterhouses.

Which is more than can be said for the production of foie gras, for example, so dear to European palates, in which geese are restrained and force-fed. The production of veal, which was also developed to feed European tastes, has long been criticized as cruel and unusual punishment of animals. In a world of factory farming, seals at least get to spend their lives in the wild.

The closely-watched seal harvest is conducted in a controlled fashion. The survival of the seal industry is important for Atlantic Canada; Canadian governments continue to ensure that this traditional hunt is carried out responsibly and humanely.

Some critics will say that the words “humane” and “hunt” are mutually exclusive, no matter the animal. But that’s an argument for another day. In the meantime, humans continue to use and consume animals, and Europe has no business lecturing Canada about it.