Scottish sporran industry rescued by ESKIMOS after lawyers find
loophole in EU sealskin ban
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:53 AM on 20th September 2010
Kiltmakers are turning to Eskimos to beat a Brussels threat to sporrans.
The EU last month banned products made from sealskin - the traditional
source of leather for the Highland kit.
But kilt firms found a legal loophole that could allow them to use hides
supplied by the Arctic's Yupik and Inuit people.
Kilt saviour: A Canadian Inuit hunter in a kayak throws a harpoon at a seal
Kilt saviour: A Canadian Inuit hunter in a kayak throws a harpoon at a seal
They are exempted from the import ban because seal-hunting is part of
their culture.
Ian Chisholm of the Scottish Kiltmakers' Association said: 'We may be
able to use skins if they have been hunted as part of traditional culture.'
He said if the deal is approved it will be a 'lifesaver' for the industry.
Sporrans have been made from sealskin since the 18th century.
They typically cost around £145, although more ornate examples can sell
for up to £2,000.
Mr Chisholm, who also runs the Inverness-based company Chisholm Highland
Dress, said: 'Nothing beats sealskin. It has a quality of its own. It
has a beautiful lustre against the tartans of the kilts.
'You can dye the other skins but you can still tell the difference. They
do not have the same texture and are not as soft to feel.'
The sporran-makers' move would be a welcome boost for the Eskimos, the
indigenous people of the Arctic.
A spokesman for the Eskimo tribes in Canada said they were keen to
supply the Highland dress industry with seal skin and that sales would
help pay for gas, food and snowmobiles.
He added: 'Our communities have a lot in common and we feel a connection
with the people of Scotland who also rely on traditional trades.'
Under the terms of the ban, kiltmakers are allowed to sell their current
stock of sealskin sporrans, but many are predicting they will have sold
out within a year.
Slanj, which counts Sir Sean Connery, Billy Connolly and Ewan McGregor
as customers, said it may run out within six months.
Even if a deal between the Eskimos and sporran-makers is allowed, the
quantity of sealskin that can be imported could be limited, but any deal
would help restore pride in the quality of their goods.
Mr Chisholm said: 'If the quantity that is available is reduced, it is
likely the costs will increase, but it is sad when you see the inferior
sporrans being made.
'Being allowed to use sealskin would bring back that pride in knowing
the finest quality sporrans are made in Scotland.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313562/Eskimos-rescue-Scottish-sporran-industry-EU-bans-sealskin.html#ixzz104x6eHSV
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