Sealskin ban in Scotland?

[Hamish]

The Scotsman newspaper has an article today which indicates a possible threat to our traditional Dress sporrans:

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/...fur.4319094.jp

Take care,
Ham.

[Gauranga]

Being a compassionate human being is more important than our 'traditional Dress'.

[McMurdo]

I wonder what this will mean regarding travel to those of us already with sealskin sporrans.

[McClef]

It would be against natural justice to make it retrospective (not that it never happens as the UK car tax proposals show).

It was not made retrospective with ivory so it shouldn't be with seal fur. There is no way of demonstrating provenance retrospectively.

[gilmore]

"Ian Chisholm, who owns a Highland dress business in Inverness, estimates 70 per cent of the dress sporrans it sells are made from seal pelts, and believes a ban would put an end to part of Scotland's heritage. "

Puh leeze.

[robthehiker]

It's hardly sounds like the end of the sealskin sporran. The European environment commissioner, "announced plans to bring in a total import ban on products derived from seals that have been killed in a cruel way" and further "trade in seal products would be allowed from countries that can guarantee their hunting techniques follow high welfare standards. "

It seems to me that it would only require a change in the manner in which the sealskins are harvested?

That said, one of the supporters of the proposal said "The wearing of fur generally in Scotland is seen as unacceptable by the majority of the public," he said. "Sporrans are one of the few things where it's still seen as publicly acceptable to wear fur."

Now that is a different story entirely...

[beloitpiper]

Why are seal skin sporrans so important? It's not like a sporran HAS to be made from seal. Use another fur and move on...not that big of a deal.

[McClef]

Having seen some of the "fake fur" alternatives...

But I guess it's what you are used to - as I remember seal fur sporrans may not be imported into the USA.

[robthehiker]

Why are seal skin sporrans so important? It's not like a sporran HAS to be made from seal. Use another fur and move on...not that big of a deal.

I think you miss the mark on both counts. The proposed ban is not against sealskin, it's against using sealskin that has been harvested in a cruel way. Second, many opponents to using sealskin are against using any fur harvested using any methods.

[ccga3359]

"I think most people aren't aware that sporrans in this country were made from seals clubbed in Canadian seal hunts."

Under the Brussels plan, trade in seal products would be allowed from countries that can guarantee their hunting techniques follow high welfare standards.

David Martin, a Scottish Labour MEP and animal rights campaigner, is worried the proposals do not go far enough. He said: "Having first called for this ban over 23 years ago when I visited the ice floes in Canada and witnessed the inhumane carnage which takes place during the annual cull, I am pleased the commission has at long last come forward with proposals for a ban in the trade in seal products.

"However, the proposals are open to abuse – much of the killing takes place in remote areas where effective monitoring of humane killing would be impractical."

Indeed the hakapik is the most effective and humane way of killing a seal. Afterall a a hakapik has to be used to ensure that a seal that has been taken down by a bullet is indeed dead. It's a shame that it seem's only Canada (at least to me) is singled out as inhumane and not russia, Norway, Greenland or Nambia (!).
I am actually perplexed by the above (highlighted) statement as I feel that there is no humane way of killing an animal, there are crueler ways of doing it but nothing humane in the killing of an otherwise healty and docile animal. I'll continue to eat my beef, chicken or fish and although I personally won't wear seal products but until Canadian laws change I'll continue to stand by our sealers and thier methods.