§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy in respect of foodstuffs containing oil derived from seals; and if he will make a statement. [50934]
§ Angela EagleThe Department of Health report that there is no evidence that foodstuffs containing oil derived from seals are widely consumed in the United Kingdom.
Monk seals (Monachus spp.), Fur seals (Artocephalus spp.) and the Southern elephant-seal (Mirounga leonina) are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to which the UK is a Party. Under Council Regulation EC 338/97 which implements CITES in the EU, imports and exports of specimens of protected species and their parts and derivatives, including foodstuffs, are controlled under a licensing system. The most endangered species (ie Monk seals, and the Juan Fernandez (Arctocephalus philippii) and Guadelupe (Artocephalus townsendi) fur seals) are banned from international trade. Within the EU this extends to any commercial use, including buying, selling and display.