Bill could ban seal products

Press, 15 April 1978, Page 4

Bill could ban seal products

PA Hamilton Seal-product imports may be banned under the Marine Mammals Protection Bill to be introduced in Parliament this year. The Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr Adams- | Schneider) said that the I bill would provide for! a ban on all seal-product I imports except for some possible exemptions reouiring the approval of the Minister of Agriculture. He hoped that the bill would be enacted this year. Mr Adams-Schneider was answering a question on the i importation of seal pelts i taken during annual baby- i seal hunts in Canada. Conservation groups have! attacked the slaughter and the Greenpeace Foundation has called on the Govern-! ment to importation-

•of the seal skins by New Zealand. Mr Adams-Schneider said -that he had consulted the ) Minister of Agriculture (Mr , Maclntyre) about seal-pelt (imports and had found that ; they were not subject to import-licensing control. Also, no agricultural restrictions governed their importation. An official of the Friends of the Earth organisation, Mr Paul Hobin, said from AuckI land that the bill would he fully supported by conservation groups. “We’ve done some research on the imports and found very few seal pelts are ‘ sold in New Zealand because i of the amount of competition for these types of fur.” he said. “But it is still surprising there are no restrici tions on their importation."