"Sealing Industry Meeting a Sham"
Animal welfare groups barred from 2002 Seals Forum Risk

November 14, 2002 (Montreal) - Over a dozen international and Canadian animal welfare groups are charging the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) with corruption after being denied invitations to the 2002 Seals Forum. The Forum, organized by the DFO, will be staged in St. John's, Newfoundland on November 14th and 15th. Its mandate is to consult with stakeholders and interest groups on the development of a new multi-year seal management plan.

Animal welfare groups are angered that the DFO invited 38 industry representatives, but allowed only four animal welfare groups to participate. The rejected groups were blocked from the meeting for reasons ranging from their nationality to the issues they wanted to bring to the table.

"Studies show up to 42% of seals are being skinned alive at the hunt, and observers, including media, report gross animal welfare violations each year," stated Gail Zwicker of the Nova Scotia Humane Society. "How can any meeting to discuss a multi-year management plan for the seal hunt completely disregard animal welfare concerns?"

International groups had hoped to bring a global perspective to the discussions. "Canada's international reputation is being irreparably damaged by the continuation of this hunt," claimed Mark Glover of Respect for Animals (UK). British people currently contribute more than one billion tourist dollars to the Canadian economy each year. The potential adverse effects of the seal hunt on legitimate Canadian industries should be seriously evaluated."

Marianne Thieme of Bont Voor Dieren (Holland) agreed. "Dutch people view the hunting of seals in much the same way that Canadians view the torture and killing of cats and dogs for food in Korea. We don't believe that any civilized society can endorse such a brutal activity."

With only 6% of the participants representing animal interests, the rejected groups feel that the meeting is being staged to endorse a predetermined agenda to expand the hunt. "This is not a stakeholders meeting, it is a sham," concluded Andrew Plumbly of Global Action Network. "They can bar us from the Forum, but we will not be silenced."

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