Confusing
Speaking on behalf of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - one of the main groups that lobbied the EU to pass the ban on commercial seal products - Barbara Slee said Jean's act confuses the controversy surrounding the seal hunt:

"She wants to show support to seal hunters but it's also a reaction to the EU legislation and the EU legislation does actually leave an exemption for the traditional Inuit hunt. It's quite disappointing and actually inappropriate to take these kinds of actions because it doesn't give the true picture. In the end, the traditional subsistence hunt can still continue."

Inhumane killing
The EU ban on commercial seal products will come into effect later this year, following decades of lobbying by animal rights' groups. IFAW says that commercial hunting - as opposed to the traditional seal hunt - is a cruel practice. Methods used in the seal hunt include shooting, netting and clubbing.

While Slee says that it is possible to kill seals humanely, the harsh conditions of the Canadian North mean that hunters have little time to cull seals properly.

IFAW oppose the commercial hunting of seals because of the typical conditions in which it takes place. In Canada specifically, it is impossible to adhere to animal welfare procedures and the hunt is therefore considered inherently inhumane. Because of the harsh climate and the moving ice floes, it is very difficult to kill seals in an instant and therefore they suffer a lot of unnecessary pain.

The Canadian government permits the hunting of 300,000 seals annually - the largest seal hunt in the world and intends to take the EU before the World Trade Organisation if the ban comes into effect.