Optimism over change of heart in leghold traps row

Date: 18/09/1997

By Michael Mann

WASHINGTON has shown the first signs of flexibility in its dispute with the EU over the fur industry's use of what Europe believes are inhumane leghold traps.

An exploratory meeting earlier this month saw the US agreeing for the first time to the unconditional phase-out of leghold traps used for catching ermine and muskrat.

But European Commission officials believe this is unlikely to be enough to satisfy EU governments, which in July signed up to a deal with Canada and Russia banning the use of leghold traps for a total of 19 species.

EU trade ministers agreed at the same time that any agreement struck with the Americans would have to be at least 'equivalent' to the deal with the other two major fur-exporting nations.

“My impression is that we still have some work to do to reach a solution, but we are busy sounding out the member states. At least this shows that our strategy of going ahead with signing the Canada/ Russia agreement is bearing fruit,” said a Commission insider.

Time is now running out for an accord. The Commission formally published the Canada/Russia deal on 4 September and unless the US and EU can come to an understanding, all American fur exports will be excluded from the European market from 1 December.

Over months of negotiations, the US has refused to budge from its line that leghold traps should not be banned until thorough testing has proved that they do not qualify as humane. For its part, the Commission was pinning its hopes on the ban being enough to concentrate minds on the other side of the Atlantic and force a deal. Officials hope that Washington's change of heart on two species finally signals a major shift of position. But persuading the US to stop using leghold traps for a number of other species will be far from easy.

In the meantime, the EU side is continuing to urge the US to speed up the testing process to decide what constitutes a 'humane' trap. Commission experts are convinced the leghold trap stands no chance of surviving scientific investigation.

The US has threatened action against the EU in the World Trade Organisation if Europe goes ahead with a ban under a Union law agreed back in 1991.

Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan is anxious to avoid yet another embarrassing transatlantic trade dispute, but is nonetheless convinced that the existence of the standard of 'humaneness' negotiated with Russia and Canada would strengthen his hand in Geneva.

Animal welfare campaigners are keeping a close watch on developments. “At the very least, we have to ensure the US signs up to an equivalent agreement,” said an official at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Deirdre Deady, who represents the International Fur Trade Federation, urged both sides to come to a satisfactory conclusion, stressing that “people now realise what this framework brings to animal welfare in Europe”.