`ARAN - Seal Slaughter Campaign

2009 has proved to be a historic year for Canada’s seals - and ARAN has been there every step of the way. Our members have long voiced their opposition to the brutal slaughter of seals by Canada’s commercial fishermen by participating in peaceful protests throughout Ireland, bringing the plight of the helpless harp seals to the nation’s attention. From our lively demonstration outside the EU Parliament offices to a celebrity filled photocall at the Canadian Embassy, ARANs campaign to put an end to the cruel hunt has been relentless and effective. Indeed, as a direct result of the letters, emails, and calls made by compassionate campaign supporters, Irish MEPs made a crucial u-turn prior to the May 2009 EU vote to ban the trade in seal products, deciding to back a full ban without loopholes. The subsequent vote in favour of the ban marked one of the most important achievements in the lengthy campaign against the slaughter.

Now that the trade ban has been passed, it is more important than ever to keep the pressure on the Canadian government to put an end to the hunt once and for all. The 2009 hunt was cut short early as pelt prices have fallen to historic lows and the largest market, Europe, shut its doors to the cruelty. It has long been the case that the seal slaughter has been recognised as economically unviable, backed only by considerable financial support from the government, and now this reality is more pronounced than ever. As Canadian government officials have shown themselves to be uncompassionate towards the suffering of innocent seals, the most effective way to encourage them to stop the killing is by economic means – namely, boycotting Canadian seafood. The commercial fishermen who carry out the hunt make a meagre percentage of their annual income from the slaughter, and by targeting their main source of profits, seafood, this sends a clear message to the industry that compassionate people worldwide will take direct action to end the seal carnage.  Indeed, during the 1980’s, in was as a result of such action that the hunt ended, albeit to resume again on the back of large government subsidies. 

Here in Ireland, ARAN is fronting the international campaign to boycott Canadian seafood. We are working with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to help make the campaign a success across Europe by encouraging the nation’s top restaurants, hotels, food distributors, and retailers to pledge their support to the boycott. A worldwide, coordinated movement is necessary to ensure the boycott is a success, and ARAN hope to put Ireland on the map in terms of campaign success. Our dedicated boycott team will be working tirelessly to identify and contact potential seafood buyers across the country, and inform them about the impact their pledge could make to hundreds of thousands of seals in Canada.

Of course ARAN is an animal rights group and would prefer if no one ate fish or other creatures from the sea, but been realistic they do. Unfortunately the only true way of ending this seal hunt now is to hit Canada where it hurts – financially. The seafood boycott done the trick in the 80’s now it’s time to kick start it here in Europe too.

To ensure the campaign is as effective as possible, we rely on our dedicated members to provide critical support so please contact us to find out how you can get involved with this crucial international effort to finally end the suffering of Canada’s seals. It is your continued support that makes our campaigns possible, and already the deep commitment of ARAN’s members has resulted in a huge victory for seals in Europe. So, get in touch today and pledge your support to the campaign!