(Brussels, 23 July 2008) - Today’s announcement of a proposed ban on the trade in seal products in the European Union has been cautiously welcomed by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) as a potential milestone in its founding campaign to end the cruel Canadian commercial seal hunt - but IFAW is concerned that loopholes in the legislation could still allow seal products from this cruel hunt to enter European markets.

(Ottawa, Canada, 4 April 2008) – As Canadian government officials continue a European tour in attempt to forestall an EU ban on seal products, IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) released new video evidence refuting the government’s claims that the humaneness of Canada’s commercial seal hunt has improved.

(Charlottetown, Canada, 28 March 2008) – A team of IFAW observers will document the commercial seal hunt as it opens today in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada.

(Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, 28 March 2008) – Today, experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) denounced the Canadian government’s claims that a new condition of license will improve the humaneness of Canada’s commercial seal hunt. The so-called ‘new’ regulations make no real changes to the way seals can be killed. They simply call for bleeding to be conducted at some point, “where possible” or even after the seal is finally brought onto the deck of a sealing vessel.

(Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, 28 March 2008) – Observers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) have just returned after witnessing the first slaughter of harp seal pups during this year’s commercial seal hunt.

(Ottawa, Canada, 10 March 2008) - Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has once again decided to ignore scientific advice by setting the total allowable catch (TAC) for harp seals well above what the population can sustain. Conservationists around the world and experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) are appalled that the Canadian government has seen fit to actually increase the quota despite scientific evidence that the population is in decline.

(Moscow, Russia – 6 March 2008) – Today, Oleg Trutnev, Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources drafted a letter requesting the government to bring a full stop to Russia’s hunt for newborn whitecoat harp seals less than three weeks old. This first step in halting Russia’s harp seal hunt was applauded by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), which has been working in Canada and throughout the world to put an end to commercial seal hunts.

(Berlin, Germany, 13 February 2008) - Another step towards ending cruel commercial seal hunts came out of Germany today with the government’s decision to forward the draft bill for a national trade ban on all seal products to the EU Commission. The Commission will clarify that the bill is in accordance with European legislation and with global commercial law. IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), has been working throughout the European Union and around the world to achieve national bans on seal products.

(Parma, Italy, 19 December 2007) – At the request of the European Commission, The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) today released its report on the Animal Welfare Aspects of Seal Hunting, finding there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the Canadian government’s claims that its commercial seal hunt is ‘humane’. Experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) are delighted that the report sets the record straight – Canada’s commercial seal hunt is inherently inhumane.

(Sydney, Australia, 26 September 2007) – IFAW today announced the 15th annual Animal Action Week. The world’s largest animal focused education event will take place during 1-7 October, encompassing World Animal Day on 4 October. This year the week will be themed “To The Rescue: emergency relief for animals” and aims to raise awareness of how natural and man-made disasters affect animals across the world.

(The Hague, Netherlands - 18 July 2007) One small step for seals, one giant step to end the brutal seal hunt. This is the message coming out of The Netherlands with news yesterday that all trade in seal products will now be banned. The decree was made official in the States' Journal. the country's official communication of Dutch laws, decrees & statutes, of July 17th 2007. This decision makes The Netherlands the second EU nation to ban seal products this year.

(Charlottetown, PEI, Canada – 2 April 2007) – Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt opened today, with total limits set this year for 270,000 harp seals. Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has staggered the start dates this year, opening the hunt in the southern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence today, while it has announced that the remainder of the gulf will be open for hunting from Wednesday, April 4, 2007. Conservationists worldwide, including experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org have condemned the hunt as cruel and unnecessary.

(Ottawa, Canada – 29 March 2007) – The Canadian government today announced the total allowable catch (TAC) of 270,000 harp seals during the 2007 commercial seal hunt, due to begin in the coming days. The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from conservationists worldwide including researchers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org ), who worry that repeated failure by Canadian officials to properly manage the harp seal hunt as this year’s TAC continues to put the population at increased risk of depletion.

(Charlottetown, Canada – 27 March 2007) – Thousands of harp seal pups are assumed dead in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence due to the lack of ice floes, which mother seals require to give birth and nurse their pups successfully. Experts with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) have been carrying out daily surveillance flights over the region. They report that the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which is the annual birthing ground of hundreds of thousands of harp seals, is essentially devoid of both ice and seals.

(Ottawa, Canada – 14 March 2007) – IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) and its 2.5 million supporters worldwide today called on the Canadian government to cancel its annual commercial hunt of hundreds of thousands of seals off of eastern Canada, citing a disturbing lack of ice and ice-breeding seals in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. With temperatures now on the rise, ice conditions are expected to worsen, with just two weeks to go before the world’s largest hunt for marine mammals is set to begin.

(Berlin, Germany – 26 February 2007) – Horst Seehofer, German Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection today announced that Germany will move forward with plans to implement a national ban on the import of all seal products. This decision will make Germany the second nation in the European Union to do so, following Belgium’s national ban on January 27. If passed, the ban will eliminate the German market from the commercial seal trade, putting further pressure on the Canadian government to end the commercial seal hunt.

(London, 8 February 2007) – IFAW welcomes the statement made today by Ian McCartney MP, the Minister for Trade, calling upon the European Commission to propose an EU-wide ban on the import of seal products. The statement comes in response to the Government’s deep concern about the cruelty of the Canadian seal hunt.

(Brussels – 25 January 2007) – The Belgian Parliament today voted to implement a national ban on the import of all seal products, making Belgium the first nation in the European Union to do so. The ban closes the Belgian market for the commercial seal trade, sending an important message to the Canadian government that Belgium wants no part of Canada’s cruel commercial seal hunt. IFAW applauds this decision. Over the past years, its EU Office - together with the Belgian NGO GAIA - has been calling for a national ban in Belgium.