Regulations to Sharply Limit Seal Trade Survive EU High Court as Challenge Rejected

摘要

Regulations that sharply limit the import and sale of seal products in Europe were upheld by the EU Court of Justice Sept. 3 (Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami v. Comm'n, E.C.J., No. C-398/13 P, 9/3/15). The Luxembourg-based court rejected a challenge brought by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a nonprofit group which represents Canadian Inuits, and various manufacturers and traders of seal products against the regulations. Citing animal welfare concerns and the need to harmonize rules across EU member states, the regulations in question prohibit the entry of seal products into the European market except under limited exemptions, such as when the goods are byproducts of marine resource management activities or subsistence hunts by indigenous communities.