GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
The European Union could soon allow sales of seal meat from Nunavut's Inuit, an industry newsletter reported last week.

An unnamed EU representative told the World Trade Organization's disputes settlement body at a March 25 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, that progress was being made, GlobalMeatNews.com reported March 31.

"The representative said co-operation with Canada had been 'very constructive' and would 'hopefully soon result in the setting up of the necessary attestation system for Canadian Inuits to start using the... exemption'," the website reported.

The EU ban's Inuit exemption presents high barriers to trade because they include measures that forbid any seal products produced through hunts that are commercial in nature, and the EU requires that the hunt be conducted in a humane manner that "reduces pain, distress, fear or other forms of suffering of the animals hunted to the extent possible taking into consideration the traditional way of life and the subsistence needs of the community."

A Canadian diplomat assured the WTO body that Canada's seal harvest is "humane, sustainable and well-regulated," the article stated.