SEAL OF APPROVAL: FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON HUNT

SPECIAL REPORT | 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 http://eurac.tv/9nQg

With the support of SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT

SPECIAL REPORT | 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 Greenland has launched an initiative to support Inuit http://eurac.tv/9nQg and indigenous communities in Canada and the EU to improve the perception of products. It focuses on sewing in a QR code which allows consumers to check their legality by scanning the label with their phone and learn about Inuit seal and why it is environmentally sustainable. Contents

Greenland gets EU’s support for Inuit seal products 4

Great Greenland CEO: ban ‘devastating’ for Inuit communities 6

Which is more blue, Arctic sealing or the EU seal ban? 9 4 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV

Greenland gets EU’s support for Inuit seal products

By Paola Tamma | EURACTIV.com

Inuit communities have relied on seals for centuries for food, clothing, and fuel. [Greater Greenland]

eal hunting has been associated European Commission. trees in the Arctic), and its bones are with images of animal cruelty, In 2009, the EU implemented a used for handicraft and arts. SBrigitte Bardot hugging a seal ban on imports of sealskin products waste nothing from the seal and only pup, and environmental groups “on moral grounds”. Canada, where hunt as many as they need to eat. asking for it to be banned, which the seal hunting is a commercial activity, Under , EU eventually did. started a trade war in the WTO but indigenous people have the right in 2014 the latter upheld the EU ban, to secure and enjoy their own The outcome has been much to the displeasure of Inuit means of subsistence and engage in disastrous for indigenous people, communities who have for centuries traditional economic activities. Yet who traditionally live off the sea, hunted and relied on seals for food, Inuit communities have received a but Greenland is now fighting to clothing and energy. lot of bashing for their traditional turn things around by informing The seal’s blubber, a thick layer ways of life. consumers on the sustainability of of fat that keeps them warm in the Hovak Johnston, an Inuit artist Inuit seal products, in a campaign Arctic winter, is used as fuel for conducted with the support of the lighting and heating (there are no Continued on Page 5 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV 5

Continued from Page 4 code, allowing consumers to check (importing food, outerwear, and their legality and sustainability fuel), on the contrary, has huge from Nunavuk (Canada), recalled by scanning the label with their environmental costs. how her son was bullied for posting phone. The label will take them to a “The big problem for marine on social media a selfie wearing a page by the European Commission, mammals is pollution. But then, we traditional seal parka she made for informing them of the Inuit Europeans have to clean our own his graduation: “To take seal hunting exception to the ban. garden,” she said. away from us is quite significant – The initiative, spearheaded by you take a lot of our pride away.” Greenland, involves indigenous communities across the Arctic, and THE INUIT EXCEPTION got the European Commission’s seal of approval: In 2015, the EU recognised “The WTO recognised the the exception for Inuit and other legitimacy of the ban for seal indigenous groups, whose products for moral reasons. We can be traded legally, provided they may like it or not, but we have to are accompanied by an authorised do it. But the Commission commits certificate. to informing EU citizens of the Yet this was not sufficient to existence of this exception”, said a recover trade: the price of sealskin, spokesperson for DG ENVI. which averaged at 600dk (€80) in 2006, dropped by 60% in 2009 PROTECTING THE SEAL as a result of the ban. It has failed STARTS IN EUROPE to recover since – averaging some 280dk (around €40) in 2016. The two species hunted by Inuit A number of isolated Inuit in Greenland, the and communities in Greenland are the , are listed as “least completely dependent on trade concerned” by IUCN’s red list of in sealskin to buy the necessities threatened species, and scientists they can’t produce. Greenland say they may have reached their is a self-governing part of the environment’s carrying capacity, Kingdom of Denmark. Currently, beyond which they can’t grow in The Greenlandic government fully numbers. subsidises the trade by buying hides But the threats to seals come from hunters. in other forms: Arctic drilling and “One of these communities has climate change, which are reducing one helicopter connection once a their habitats. Gert Polet, of the week, when the weather is good. WWF’s environment program, said: Even if we develop the way we hunt “The Arctic will look different and and process, it will never be a mass we have to take drastic steps in industry. But we do hope that one day the Arctic, managing populations it will be economically sustainable,” responsibly, but especially outside said Bjarne Lyberth, representing the Arctic, where we are emitting all Greenlandic hunters and fishers. the CO2.” The price is low and sales difficult, Genevieve Desportes, a biologist because of consumers’ weariness, with the international body for according to Ditte Sorknæs, CEO of a marine mammals in the Arctic public-owned tannery and workshop (NAMMCO), thinks Inuit seal Greater Greenland, trading in hunting is sustainable because of its sealskins since 1977. responsible harvest levels, the use of For this reason, she came up abundant local resources for local with the idea of accompanying use, and limited waste and impact Inuit sealskin products with a QR on the environment. Its alternative 6 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV

INTERVIEW Great Greenland CEO: seal hunting ban ‘devastating’ for Inuit communities

By Paola Tamma | EURACTIV.com

Ditte Sorknæs, CEO of Great Greenland.

t is not profitable and may never be. sealskin products since 1977. claiming it is a moral law. If you look And the EU has banned it. So why at it as a moral law, that’s where the Ishould seal hunting be supported? When a seals ban was proposed in colonialism comes in, because who Because it is a sustainable way of life 2009, your environment minister cried are these morals for? It’s definitely for Inuit people – and sometimes their out against “eco-colonialism” – are you not for the Inuit, who have lived with only one. And the way forward for satisfied with the regime now? and off the sea for centuries. So this is Greenland’s independence, says Ditte very much the European morals, if any Sorknæs. The ban itself hasn’t changed. moral at all. The foundation of the ban is wrong, We’ve had the Inuit exception Ditte Sorknæs is the CEO of Great in the sense that if you look at facts since 2010. That does make some Greenland, a Greenlandic public it doesn’t make any sense. But from company trading in sealskins and the European side, they’ve kept on Continued on Page 7 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV 7

Continued from Page 6 product. So if you, as a consumer, go between €1 and 2,5 million in sealskins into a store, look at a jacket, you like and sealskin products per year. The difference for us but does not change it but you have doubts – is this legal joint export has been stable in the last the big picture. or illegal? You can scan the QR code years, but the interesting bit is that the and see it is legal because it has been split between finished products and When you say that by the facts, the hunted by Inuit. skins have changed. Up until this year, ban doesn’t make sense- what do you the majority of our exports were skins. mean? Under the Inuit exception, seal hunting Ready tanned skins, but skins. is permitted provided that the hunt From this year, we see that the Say for instance the ban on trading is conducted for and contributes to finished product is a larger portion. polar bears, it does make sense the subsistence of the community We went from having a closed-down because the polar bear is a threatened and is not conducted primarily for workshop in 2015, and within two species under IUCN standards. But if commercial reasons. This leaves years we have grown to four full- you look at the two type of seals that room for interpretation – how do you time employees. That means a lot to we and other Inuit areas trade in, interpret this? the local community. Having good Harp seal and Ringed seal, they’re not work is definitely important, and I threatened at all. There’s an abundance What we’ve done in Greenland is see it growing: I expect that this time of them. One of the big issues is that actually what we’ve been doing all next year we will have six full-time there are so many that you can’t give a along. Since 1982 we have a system that employees. specific number. has been born by Great Greenland. We The second thing is you can look at are a government-owned company Is there a risk that introducing is this in any way harmful? Obviously, and we have trading stations all along certification schemes and encouraging it isn’t, we are talking about a wild the coast of Greenland, and hunters trade will pose a threat to the seal living animal that is killed for food, can trade the skins at the trading population? Are there any limits to and where the skin is a by-product. stations. We gather and tan them how many seals can be hunted? It doesn’t pollute anyway more than within Greenland. We have kept that it would by living freely. It’s killed system thinking the EU knew it was in I don’t expect this, at least in and eaten in a local area, instead of place. Greenland. This is not profitable having things flown in. And the fact But some of the wording does industry. Every time we buy a skin that everything is used, in our day and worry us because it uses wording from a hunter, it is 100% subsidised by age with a growing global population, such as “traditional hunt for the government. No matter how good reducing waste is one thing that we subsistence purposes”, with a ban sales are, it would take a long time have to look into, and the Inuit have on the commercial side of it. That’s a before it is not subsidised, if ever. done so for centuries. little bit difficult. If you really want to I am not normally a pessimist, but interpret to the letter, you can say that I think the damage this ban has done The legislation already allows trade in the minute a hunter sells the skin to us – I can see it is keeping prices at an Inuit seal products provided they are rather than just give it to us, isn’t it a artificially low-level, and I don’t think accompanied by a certificate issued by commercial situation? we will ever get out of subsidies. I don’t an authorised body. There is a paper So I think as a company, if we’re see how seal hunting could increase trail. What will change now? Why a doing better in the marketplace – rapidly because we wouldn’t be able to QR code? theoretically, if we got a really good give them more money. price for our skins, and we made good The system we have today is very margins rather than have red numbers Why, if there are no profits, is there much based on skin. That’s not going in our accounting all the time, would still an interest in manufacturing and to change. We have the certificates that mean we are going against the law, exporting these products? but the minute they are made into a because we’ve become commercial? product, say a coat, or a purse, or even So there is something in the law which If the government could get to a keychain, you don’t have any way of is not really specified and will be tested pay fewer subsidies, it would be a big knowing is this an Inuit hunted seal or in the coming years as we improve. difference if we could talk only 80% is it a commercially hunted seal? or 60% subsidies. There is definitely a So the whole idea of the QR code What is your business volume? “profit” so to speak to be gained. labelling is that it follows the skin as well, but it can be sewn into the final Since the ban, we have exported Continued on Page 8 8 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV

Continued from Page 7 your own people. This is still an issue in Greenland, but compared to other But also, in Greenland what you Inuit areas it has come a very long way. can do for a living is still rather limited. They have a system in place. You can do , and hunting and What they gained in 2009 with self- a few odd jobs here and there, like government is a very big step because anywhere else – but those are still the it allows them to take home areas two primary jobs you can have. whenever they want, for instance, Having the right to hunt taken the judiciary is still in Denmark, but away from you is really devastating. they’re talking about taking that back. Especially some of the more isolated It opens an opportunity for Greenland settlements, they are still dependent to take it step by step rather than 100% on seal hunting. doing, let’s say, a Brexit, where you If you look at the greater have to leave overnight. percentage, it is not a big share of our annual exports, but for those Could increased trade deliver higher settlements, it is 100% of their annual economic independence? exports. That’s step one for Greenland, and Politically, can Greenland ever become everything we talk about is how can independent? we become better and trade more with other countries? The Danish government gives Up until recently, our main and 3.6b DKK (about half a billion €) to only trading party was Denmark, the Greenlandic government. If the but we are opening up trade with the country can become independent? I States, with Canada, and opening up am sure that it can, and it already has freight routes.Trade and exports is the a lot of self-government, but I think one way in which Greenland can grow they’re struggling like any other Inuit into independence, and that’s why community with problems like the they’re protective about keeping their level education before you can fill all proficiency in seal hunting as well. the top positions in your country with 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV 9

OPINION

DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV.com PLC. Which is more blue, Arctic sealing or the EU seal ban?

By Geneviève Desportes | NAMMCO

Arctic sealing is a blue economy activity - the ban on sealing is not, according to NAMMCO. [Fernando Ugarte]

he EU advocates for Blue Blue Economy espouses the ecological footprint by minimising Economy, the new framework desired Rio+20 outcome of “improved environmental costs and conserving Tfor sustainable growth in the human well-being and social biodiversity. marine sector. Does Arctic sealing, a equity, while significantly reducing traditional activity widely condemned environmental risks and ecological A HIGH SOCIETAL by the EU and others, actually qualify scarcities”. FOOTPRINT as a component of the blue economy? On one side the human/social writes Dr Geneviève Desportes. aspect: fostering the highest possible Sealing has been conducted for societal footprint by generating centuries by Inuit around the Arctic. Dr Geneviève Desportes is a jobs and economic benefits whilst It is a highly valued activity for three biologist and General Secretary of supporting inclusion and social value; reasons. It represents a favoured food the North Atlantic on the other side the environmental Commission (NAMMCO). aspect: triggering the lowest Continued on Page 10 10 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV

Continued from Page 9 also to be considered. Low collateral environmental Sustainable – The two primarily costs. The various negative supply and also provides household hunted seal species in the Arctic environmental impacts associated material. are the ringed and the harp seals. with intensive agriculture, farming The sale of by-products, the skins The harp seal is the most abundant and fishing such as pollution, habitat and skin-made artefacts, generates species in the northern hemisphere, destruction and non-selective a cash opportunity which in turn numbering nine million animals that extraction (by-catch and discard), permits hunting to continue by are widespread in the North Atlantic are not present in Arctic sealing. The making possible the acquisition of and the adjacent . pollution is limited to the boats, snow hunting equipment and fuel. The five million ringed seals have a scooters & sledge dogs, and there is Lastly, it represents a trans- circumpolar distribution throughout no habitat destruction, greenhouse generational link with the sharing the Arctic Basin and adjacent seas gas emission is limited to that of the of unique local knowledge adapted and are only hunted in a fraction of dogs. The extraction is selective, to a specifically harsh environment. their remote and inaccessible habitat. focussing on individual animals from Arctic sealing decreases food Both species are assessed as “least specific species, sex and age, with for insecurity and increases well-being. concern” by IUCN and are considered example the protection of white coats It is identity and culture, it is food for able to sustain controlled removals. and mother-calf pairs. The collateral the body and the soul and possesses a Low carbon footprint. Seals are environmental costs are therefore high societal value. locally hunted and consumed. The very limited. hunt, using boats, snow scooters and Resource efficient. Most of the A LOW ECOLOGICAL dog sledges, requires very little (if resource is used and very little is FOOTPRINT any) non-renewable energy. There is wasted. The , blubber, flippers, no production chain and only local some internal organs are used for Sustainability is a key factor transport. The carbon footprint human consumption, the leftovers when examining ecological footprint of seal products is very low and are given to the sledge dogs, the but the ecological cost from “cradle considerably lower than that of any bones, ligaments and oil are used in to grave”, through extraction, flown-in resources (food & fabrics), the household and the production production, distribution and disposal the transport using non-renewable of handicraft and jewellery, the skins process of the resource, both in fossil fuel adding to the alternative absolute and relative terms, needs product’s own carbon footprint. Continued on Page 11 1 - 13 DEC. 2017 | SPECIAL REPORT | SEAL OF APPROVAL: GREENLAND FIGHTS STEREOTYPES ON INUIT HUNT | EURACTIV 11

Continued from Page 10 supporting its integrity, and at the decreasing the access to and the use same time, it represents an economic of low ecological footprint food and are used for clothing, household activity that local stakeholders can cash opportunities, it favours a high- and insulation. The resource is control and have a genuine interest energy option: the import of cheap therefore used very efficiently – in preserving. When sustainable, flown-in food, mass-produced at a assuming the skins are used, and the Arctic sealing represents the use of high ecological cost in other areas. disposal of natural by-products is not resources that is well in balance with Because the skills of Arctic problematic for the environment. the environment and ecologically hunting and sealskin preparation get responsible, and its characteristics lost, the seal ban also means a loss of ARCTIC SEALING, BLUE OR match the criteria of a blue activity. knowledge sharing, a loss of tradition NOT? and culture, thus leading to a globally THE BAN ON SALE OF SEAL poorer Arctic ecosystem. Does Arctic sealing then qualify as PRODUCTS, IS IT BLUE OR Also, as wearing seal skin a component of the blue economy? NOT? is negatively viewed in Europe, It increases food security, people who could wear ecologically generates jobs and cash opportunities, The ban results in discarding a by- responsible organic and long-life favours social inclusion and identity. product, the skins, thus making the sealskin outfits will favour short life, It is sustainably managed and does resource less efficiently used. But the artificial fabric of higher ecological – not have a negative impact on the seals are still killed, as the purpose of and sometimes societal – footprint. resource. the hunt is to produce food for human In other words, the ban increases the By generating the use of local consumption. planet’s global clothing ecological resources, it limits the need for and Because the price of the skins is footprint. flown-in import of alternative food so low that it does not pay to process As an environmental scientist, products and therefore reduces the them, only one-third of the skins is I have difficulty seeing how the EU environmental risks associated with presently sold in Greenland while seal ban favouring ecologically costly the production of these alternative the remaining two-thirds are simply options, with an Inuit exemption not products. discarded. associated with any sustainability Arctic sealing contributes to The ban has no effect on ecological criteria, could be in line with the blue maximising the output of the marine scarcity, as the resource is plentiful economy. ecosystem while respecting and and sustainably managed. But, by

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Contact us Arnaud Sonnet [email protected] tel. +32 (0)2 226 58 17 Paola Tamma [email protected] tel. +32 (0)2 788 36 71