A European Union ban on imports of seal products not derived from the traditional Inuit seal hunt is legal, the 28-nation bloc's top court ruled on Thursday.
The Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice rejected an appeal brought by an association representing the interests of Canadian Inuits - Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami - and seal product manufacturers against a ruling from a lower court in 2013.
"By today's judgment, the Court dismisses the appeal in its entirety," the Court said in a statement.
The association of Canadian Inuits had disputed the legality of the ban on the grounds that its objective - the protection of animal welfare - was not an exclusive competence of the EU.
If any of you EU law experts out there can provide a link to the case on the ECJ web site, feel free to post it in the comments.
