It appears the Danes love their sealskin products as much as we do here in Canada. Various products from clothing to crafts and furniture made with sealskin became more available in late 2013 thanks to a partnership between Great Greenland and Kopenhagen Fur. While lawmakers in Copenhagen and Brussels apply continuous efforts to pressure the EU parliament to lift the ban on sealskin products so to allow the import of Greenlandic seal products to European markets.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the prime minister, said she did not expect the issue to come up in the 2014 meeting but said would continue to make the country’s position clear.
“Most people know that we support a sustainable seal hunt in Greenland,” she told reporters. “We always have, and we’ve been at the forefront when the discussion has come up in the EU.”
The Canadian seal harvest, we remind the Danish prime minister, is also very sustainable and conducted in a safe humane manner with best practices in mind. No way the EU can cherry pick which seal harvester is better than the other. All or none will always be our position to the EU. Together we prosper and support each other in the face of diversity and continue to debunk the propaganda spread by the animal rights groups.
Story links from Arctic Journal
The fur that wants to come in from the cold: Greenlandic tannery and Danish fur industry combine forces
Sealskin all the rage in Denmark
Photo: Ulrik Bang