In just a few weeks' time, Canada's eastern ice floes will change from a pristine nursery ground for young harp seal pups to a scene of carnage, as the annual commercial seal hunt begins yet again.

The hunt is brutal, unnecessary and wasteful. Every year more than quarter of a million pups – 98% under three months old – are clubbed or shot for their fur.

Shortly after the world's largest marine mammal hunt begins at the end of this month, the European parliament will have a historic opportunity to create a massive setback to the Canadian hunt (and other commercial hunts in Russia, Namibia, Greenland and Norway) by banning the import, export and transit of all seal products in Europe.

This move comes in response to widespread condemnation of seal hunting from members of the public in countries across Europe, including the UK. Last July, the European commission adopted a proposal to ban the trade in seal products from commercial (as opposed to Inuit subsistence) hunts. However, leading animal welfare groups such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) have warned that the current proposal is flawed, as it would allow trade in seal products from hunts which in theory did not cause the animals unnecessary suffering. This is a bureaucratic anomaly, as by its very nature the commercial seal hunt is inherently inhumane.

Seal hunts take place at speed, in remote areas and with little regard for the welfare of the animals. A 2007 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report on seal killing and skinning methods concluded that effective killing does not always occur and that animals suffer pain and distress. There is no doubt that each country that participates in such hunts would claim to do so in a humane manner. However it would be far too costly to effectively monitor the hunt to verify whether the sealers comply with humane criteria. All the evidence shows that a humane standards derogation would be impractical and virtually impossible to enforce.

It is clear to me that an outright ban, with no loopholes, is the only way to prevent products from cruel hunts entering the EU. As well as sending a clear message to Canada that Europeans want no part in this cruel trade, it would have a significant impact on next years' hunt. History shows us the impact Europe's actions can have on this remote hunt. In 1983, the European community banned the trade in skins from newborn harp seals and young hooded seals. This ban substantially reduced the market for sealskins and thus greatly reduced the scale of the Canadian seal hunt.

However, following subsidies from the Canadian government in the 1990s to reinvigorate the hunt and create new markets for products (primarily fur garments for the fashion industry and some seal oil) the annual hunt has increased dramatically. The sealers now wait a few extra days until the harp seals begin to shed their "whitecoats" before killing them. These pelts are then legally traded. A partial ban was not enough to end the cruelty. This time around we simply cannot afford any loopholes which would allow commercial hunts to continue.

We don't need seal skins – but seals do. By voting in favour of a full and comprehensive ban in the European parliament this April, MEPs will help to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of seals from future hunts. We can help stop the ice turning red.