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2.

Letting the Fur Fly

Things are getting a little hairy in the international fur trade. Europe and major fur-producing countries like Canada are scrapping over the use of leghold traps to capture fur-bearing animals, pitting economic and social concerns over sustainable livelihoods (see DID Issue 4, DI#2) against ethical concerns about animal suffering. A proposed European Community regulation banning a broad range of leghold-linked fur imports is looming, pending the results of on-going negotiations between the EC, Canada, Russia and the USA. The EC is the world's major fur-buying market and it wants exporters to reduce unnecessary cruelty toward animals. The Canadians are particularly sensitive about the European move, which resonates within its $1-billion-a-year, mostly-for-export fur industry and among native people who practice trapping as a traditional way of life. The EC's Fur Trade Regulation could affect numerous important - and unendangered - export species from badgers and beavers to muskrats and raccoons. In an effort to quell the European concerns, Canada has introduced regulations governing more humane trapping in its territories. But British environment minister John Gummer still wants the import ban until the leghold traps are removed once and for all. Canadian Deputy PM Sheila Copps lashed back during the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress in Montreal, saying a ban would hurt the traditional livelihoods of First Nations people and have 'no basis in science or sustainable development'. She suggested the EC position may have more to do with protecting European fur farmers than furry animals of a four-legged variety. Whatever one's position, the trade in pelts clearly touches on a number of deeply held values and perfectly valid interests. We only hope traditional producers, cruelty- conscious consumers and animal rights activists can come to an accommodation before the ban delivers its own special sting.[of fur traders, leghold traps and traditional livelihoods]

Word Watch Trauma scale n. an upcoming International Organization for Standardization (ISO) rating system establishing criteria for humaneness in trapping.

Comfort scale n. an earlier misnomer for the ISO 'trauma scale' before it was concluded that traps hold little comfort.

In Depth European Alliance with Indigenous Peoples. EAIP Newsletter: Information Bulletin on European Policies towards Indigenous Peoples. Brussels, Belgium: EAIP.

NOT HOT -

Foot-in-Mouth Traders

Achieving agreement often sounds easier than it is. Round tables may be a cinch to set up, but too often they miss the crucial elements required for success. Take the case of Canada, which pioneered the idea but where few round tables survive today. Why did some fail and others succeed? The answer lies in two key factors. First, successful round tables require top-level buy-in from those capable of making the final decisions. In Canada's provinces, then, the participation of provincial premiers was crucial to creating the 'can do' atmosphere necessary for progress. The other major factor contributing to a dynamic outcome is the production of an identifiable output that the round table 'owns' and feels comfortable promoting, even if the political powers-that-be aren't terribly supportive. Without at least one of these ingredients, the result is likely to just be a wishy-washy soup of suggestions - and a shortened lifespan for the round table.


Virtual Ideas		 The fur trade from an animal rights perspective...
And an industry perspective...
Video coverage of Canada-EC wrangling over a European fur ban

European Community countries are considering banning a range of fur imports unless "there are adequate administrative or legislative provisions in force to prohibit use of the leghold trap; or the trapping methods used ... meet internationally agreed humane trapping standards."
- from the EC's proposed Fur Trade Regulation now under heavy international negotiation

"Trapping is more than just another way to make money. It is a way of life with strong cultural, historical and social values associated with it."
- from a Canadian Trappers' Association brochure