November 2013: The EU ban on importing seal fur has been upheld by the World Trade Organization (WTO) despite a challenge from Canada and Norway.
The WTO panel has found the EU seal trade regulation, which prevents commercially hunted seal products from being sold in the EU, to be compliant with WTO law. According to them the EU can ban the trade in seal products on the basis of public moral concerns over animal welfare.
The panel also recognised that seal hunting inherently leads to poor animal welfare outcomes because of the circumstances and difficulties of the hunt.
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