Activities of Sofia RIBEIRO related to 2015/0028(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 on trade in seal products
Amendments (9)
Amendment 7 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council2 was adopted with the objective of eliminating obstacles to the functioning of the internal market due to differences in national measures regulating trade in seal products. Those measures were adopted in response to public moral concerns about the animal welfare aspects of the killing of seals and the possible presence on the market of products obtained from animals killed in a way that causes excessive pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering. Such concerns were supported by scientific evidence showing that a genuinely humane killing method cannot be consistently and effectively applied and enforced in the specific conditions in which seal hunting takes place. In order to achieve that objective, Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 introduced, as a general rule, a prohibition of placing on the market of seal products. ___________ 2 Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on trade in seal products (OJ L 286, 31.10.2009, p 36).
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) At the same time, seal hunting is an integral part of the culture and identity of the Inuit and other indigenous communities and makes a major contribution to their subsistence, and it is considered to be sustainable. For those reasons, seal hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities do not raise the same public moral concerns as the hunts conducted primarily for commercial purposes. Moreover, it is broadly recognised that the fundamental, economic, and social interests of Inuit and other indigenous communities should not be adversely affected, in accordance with United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other relevant international instruments. For those reasons, by way of exception, Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 allows the placing on the market of seal products which result from hunts traditionally conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities and which contribute to their subsistence.
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) A genuinely humane killing method cannot be effectively and consistently applied in the hunts conducted by the Inuit and other indigenous communities, just like in the other seal hunts. Nonetheless, it is appropriate, in light of the objective pursued by Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009, to make the placing in the Union market of products resulting from hunts by the Inuit and other indigenous communities conditional upon those hunts being conducted in a sustainable manner which reduces pain, distress, fear or other forms of suffering of the animals hunted to the extent possible, while having regard to the traditional way of life and the subsistence needs of the Inuit and other indigenous communities and without endangering the particular habitat and the ecosystem as a whole. The exception granted in respect of seal products resulting from hunts conducted by Inuit and other indigenous communities should be limited to hunts that contribute to the subsistence need of those communities and are therefore not conducted primarily for commercial purposes. Thus, the Commission should be enabled to limit, if necessary, the quantity of seal products placed on the market under thato restore consumer confidence the Commission should accordingly take steps to inform the public about this Regulation and the exception made under it for products resulting from hunts conducted by indigenous communities. Thus, where there is material evidence and after consultation of the entities involved, the Commission should be enabled, if necessary, to limit the permitted quantity of seal products or prohibit such products where these have been placed on the market by means of hunting methods contravening the principles underlying the exception, this in order to prevent the use of the exception by products resulting from hunts which are conducted primarily for commercial purposes.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) Products obtained from seals hunted by Inuit and other indigenous communities should not be placed on the market unless they are subject to an arrangement, or accompanied by a document, constituting proof of their origin and their conformity with this Regulation. To that end, a label could be introduced in order to certify products of this type resulting from hunting necessary to meet the subsistence needs of the communities concerned and hence not conducted primarily for commercial purposes.
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 also allows, by way of exception, the placing on the market of seal products where the hunt is conducted with the sole purpose of sustainable management of marine resources. While recognizing the importance of hunts for the purpose of sustainable management of marine resources, in practice, however, these hunts may be difficult to distinguish from the large hunts conducted primarily for commercial purposes. This may lead to unjustified discrimination between the seal products concerned. Therefore, this exception should no longer be provided for. This is without prejudice to the right of Member States to continue regulating hunts conducted for the purposes of management of marine resources, provided that they are conducted in a manner which reduces pain, distress, fear, or other forms of suffering caused to the animals hunted.
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Where there is reliable information that seal hunting methods employed in a given third country contravene any of the principles laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009, the Commission should be enabled, by means of a delegated act, to impose a total ban on imports of seal products resulting from methods of this kind. The Commission should warn the third country concerned and, in case of recurrence, prohibit imports of such products for a period of two years.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009
Article 3– paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 3– paragraph 3 a (new)
(3a) The Commission and the Member States shall take appropriate measures to inform competent authorities and the public that seal products placed on the market in accordance with Article 3, having resulted from hunting by Inuit or other indigenous communities, comply with the applicable rules.
Amendment 47 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009
Article 3 – paragraph 4
Article 3 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 4a in order to lay down detailed rules for the placing on the market of seal products in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2, which shall specify the differences between sustainable hunting and hunting for purely commercial purposes.
Amendment 53 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 1 Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009
5. If there is material evidence to suggest that the number of seals hunted, the quantity of seal products being placed on the market pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 or other circumstances are such as to indicatprove that a hunt is conducted primarily for commercial purposes, the Commission, after consulting the entities involved, shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 4 in order to limit the quantityor prohibit the placing on the market of products resulting from that hunt that may be placed on the market.