July 23 (Bloomberg) -- European Union regulators proposed outlawing imports of seal products that fail to meet animal- welfare standards, a move that may prompt Canada to follow through on a complaint challenging the legality of such a ban.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is targeting products derived from seals that are killed and skinned in ways that cause pain and suffering. Today's proposal needs the support of the 785-seat European Parliament and EU national governments.

``Seal products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must not be allowed to enter the EU,'' European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement from Brussels. ``The EU is committed to upholding high standards of animal welfare.''

Canada, which exports C$5.4 million ($5.4 million) of seal products to the EU annually, lodged a complaint against the EU at the World Trade Organization in September, saying Dutch and Belgian bans on seal products broke global trade laws. Since then, the government has held consultations with the EU though it hasn't asked for the WTO to set up a panel of judges to rule on the case.

Hakapiks

A global anti-sealskin campaign in the 1980s, led by French actress Brigitte Bardot, targeted Canada, where hunters use clubs to kill baby seals. Actress Pamela Anderson, who has spoken on behalf of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, has called the seal hunt ``barbaric and cruel'' and said it's ``just a cash bonus for these greedy fishermen.''

The Canadian government says about two-thirds of hunters use rifles, while other use clubs known as hakapiks.

Canada says hakapiks are a quick and humane way of killing seal pups, and the law requires the hunter to strike the seal on the skull until it's crushed and then to check the seal for a blinking-eye reflex before skinning it.

``Any ban on a humanely conducted hunt, such as Canada's, is without cause,'' Canadian Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn said today in a statement from Ottawa.

``We would like to caution European decision-makers: adopting broad regulations to ban products from a responsible, sustainable and well-regulated hunt is a slippery slope,'' Hearn said. ``To bow to misinformation and emotional rhetoric in restricting the trade of humanely harvested animals would set a dangerous precedent for all wild hunts.''

Canada set this year's catch quota at 275,000 harp seals and 8,200 hooded seals. More than 350,000 were killed in 2006, for a harvest worth about C$33 million, according to the Canadian Fisheries Ministry's Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer M. Freedman in Geneva at jfreedman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 23, 2008 15:32 EDT