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Af Af redaktionen samt Ritzau 23-07 2008 - 07:24

A decision to ban sealskin imports supported by the European Commission was criticised by Greenland's fishing and trapping minister, but the country's European Union representative in Brussels said the ban would likely have little affect on Greenland.

'EU countries don't buy much sealskin to begin with,' said Lars Vesterbirk, Greenland's EU representative. 'And Greenlandic seal hunting is still protected by the Inuit exception from the 1980s, so I expect a status quo at least until the spring of 2009.'

The commission's approval of the proposed ban will now be sent to the EU Parliament, where it is expected to be ratified into law.

Experts believe the ban is aimed primarily at Canadian seal hunters whose extreme and violent methods of kiling seals has received intense criticism from animal rights groups.

Nonetheless, Amalie Jessen, the hunting and trapping minister, was disappointed in the commission's approval of the ban. She said the decision was based on 'feelings rather than facts' but agreed with Vesterbirk that Greenland would probably not be affected by the ban.

Most of Greenland's sealskin exports go to Russia and China.