Your Web Site
Published Date: 24 July 2008 THE traditional sporran, which has been part of Highland dress for centuries, could be under threat because of proposals to ban the trade in seal pelts. Stavros Dimas, the European environment commissioner, yesterday announced plans to bring in a total import ban on products derived from seals that have been killed in a cruel way. The move was welcomed by animal rights groups and the government, which say it is the only way to put a stop to the inhumane slaughter of seals. However, manufacturers of traditional Highland dress believe it could spell disaster for the sporran – the vast majority of which are made from seal skin. Ian Chisholm, who owns a Highland dress business in Inverness, estimates 70 per cent of the dress sporrans it sells are made from seal pelts, and believes a ban would put an... [read full story]
