news European Parliament postpones vote on proposed seal products ban until May

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European Parliament postpones vote on proposed seal products ban until May



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By The Canadian Press


OTTAWA - A European Union vote on a proposed seal products ban has been delayed until at least May.

The European Parliament was scheduled to vote on the proposed legislation Thursday. But Roy Christensen, a spokesman with the Delegation of the European Commission in Canada, says the vote has been postponed and will likely be held some time between May 4 to 7.

Last month, a European Parliament committee endorsed a bill that would impose a ban on the import of all seal products to the 27-member union.

The same bill granted an exemption to Canada's Inuit to continue to trade seal products "for cultural, educational or ceremonial purposes."

Canadian federal officials have estimated an EU ban would chop in half the annual value of the East Coast hunt, which currently stands at $13 million.