Fur flies in EU-US row over leghold traps

Date: 06/11/1997

By Simon Coss

HOPES of averting a transatlantic trade dispute over the fur industry's use of leghold animal traps are fading fast, diplomats from both the US and the EU admitted this week.

Unless Washington agrees to phase out the traps, which are considered inhumane by Union governments, an EU ban on the import of US furs caught using them will come into force on 1 December.

The next few weeks are certain to see much frantic behind-the-scenes negotiating between the two sides. After recent embarrassing defeats at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over issues such as the Union's banana regime and the import of American beef raised using growth hormones, the European Commission would prefer to avoid another high-profile transatlantic trade tussle.

But without significant moves from Washington, this appears increasingly inevitable - and US officials said this week that they would find it hard to give any more ground.

In the US, individual states rather than the federal government decide on trapping rules and the 'hunting, shooting and fishing' lobby is very influential in many of them.

"Personally, I don't think there is much more that our states can offer. We are still hopeful that we can come up with a solution, but time is running out," said one US diplomat.

The downbeat mood was echoed at the Commission, where officials indicated that unless the US moved significantly the ban would come into force as scheduled. "Our hands are really tied. The ban has to come into force on 1 December," said one Commission trade expert.

In July, EU foreign ministers approved a deal negotiated with Canada and Russia banning the use of leghold traps for 19 species of animal. At the time, they said that any agreement reached with Washington would have to be 'equivalent' to the accord with Ottawa and Moscow. The US did agree to phase out use of the traps for two species, ermine and muskrat, last month, but no real progress has been made since then.

The Commission argues that, politically, EU governments will not be able to accept anything less than a US commitment to match the deal struck with Russia and Canada.

"In the European world, the leghold trap is such a sensitive issue that we cannot get round it. Just doing something for the ermine and the muskrat is not sufficient," said one Commission official.

Washington has argued that American states already ensure humane trapping standards through a system of anti-cruelty guidelines known as Best Management Practices (BMPs).

"These rules go significantly beyond what was agreed with Russia and Canada," said one US diplomat.

But such arguments cut little ice with the Commission. "If their BMPs are so good, then why don't they just ban the things?" retorted one official.