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

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.

The Quirky Globe