Sealing: EFSA adopts a scientific opinion on the animal welfare aspects

of different methods of killing and skinning of seals

19/12/2007

EFSA’s Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) Panel has adopted a scientific opinion on the killing and skinning seals. EFSA’s independent scientific experts have looked objectively at the best available evidence to assess whether seals can be killed rapidly and effectively without causing avoidable pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering, and if so which methods are most likely to achieve that.

The Panel noted that there are only a limited number of quantitative studies published in peer-reviewed journals to be used as the basis for the evaluation of the efficacy of various killing methods with an adequately high degree of certainty. Additional studies are available, notably from industry-linked groups and from NGOs. The Panel concluded that such studies may contain potential serious biases, but nevertheless there were obvious areas of concern for seal welfare.

The Panel concluded that seals are sentient mammals who can feel pain, distress, fear and other forms of suffering. The Panel also concluded that it is possible to kill seals rapidly and effectively without causing them avoidable pain or distress.

However the Panel also reported evidence that, in practice, effective and humane killing does not always happen....

Source: EFSA adopts a scientific opinion on the animal welfare aspects...

Link: Animal welfare aspects of killing and skinning seals - an update
Link: Saving Seals
Link: Train sealers to kill humanely, group says