Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather braved the freezing Canadian ice floes today to beg the country's Government to stop the "brutal" annual seal cull there

The couple stood side by side against the backdrop of the pristine white ice to issue their impassioned plea just weeks before the hunt begins.

And they said they hoped their influence could put an end to the cull by next year.

With the haunting cries of the harp seal pups playing in the ice behind them the only other sound, Sir Paul said: "We are out here on the ice floe trying to call upon the Canadian people, the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Government to consider putting an end once and for all to the seal culls."

Mills-McCartney, who later lay on the ice to play with one of the pure white pups, and had to draw back when it went to bite her, said the babies were killed before they had even had the chance to have a solid meal or a swim.

"Imagine having a child and having your baby bludgeoned to death in front of you with a wooden club for the sake of fashion and fur," she added.

The couple also called on the British Government to ban the import of seal products.

Sealers in the Gulf of St Lawrence, off Canada's east coast, used either clubs or "hakapiks" to beat the seals to death or shoot them.

Then they skin them and leave the gruesome-looking bloody carcasses on the floes.

The Humane Society International, which organised the McCartneys' visit, together with British group Respect For Animals, said in many cases the seals - who can be killed from the age of just 12 days old - are still alive when they are skinned so their pelts can be sold to the fashion industry.

Sir Paul said: "In about three weeks time the baby seals are due to be clubbed to death or shot.

"For many years people have been trying to have this brutal practice stopped.
"We are here to see if we can lend our voice to his campaign and maybe get it stopped once and for all."

Heather Mills McCartney added: "We won't be able to stop these beautiful baby seals being bludgeoned to death, but if we all join together and put pressure on the Canadian government to do what is just humane, hopefully this will be the last seal hunt."

The model said there was no reason for the cull, because dealers only made 5% of their income from it.

The couple were on ice floes just north west of the remote Magdelan Island, and spent several minutes posing for cameras stroking a tiny pup.

The former Beatles star said the argument that sealing should continue because it was a century's old tradition was flawed.

"Plenty of things have been going on for a very long time, like slavery and apartheid," he said.

"Just because they have been going on a long time doesn't mean they should continue to go on."

He said actually being out in the seal's natural habitat really brought the importance of the protest home to him.

"This is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth," he added.

The star suggested the Canadians should turn to eco-tourism and allow local communities to make money from seals that way, rather than by killing them.

Ending the seal cull would mean the "fantastic wildlife spectacle" could be enjoyed by future generations, he added.

A biting wind meant the temperature on the floes was around -30C.

"This is the coldest place I've ever been to, but it's worth it," Sir Paul said.

Last year the singer pledged not to perform in China again, because of the country's animal rights record.

But today he said he would not be extending the boycott to Canada, despite his opposition to the seal cull.

"I have a lot of respect for the Canadian people," he said.

"They have been asked what they think about the seal hunt, and the majority are opposed to it.

"It's not their fault."

Several countries have banned the import of Canadian seal products in recent years, but the UK is yet to do so.

Last year, some 317,000 seals were culled.

When the McCartneys flew into their base on Prince Edward Island from Halifax, a spokesman for the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans was on the plane to talk to them about the cull.

Phil Jenkins said today that he was concerned that the couple, with whom he had a "polite and respectful conversation", had been given inaccurate information.

He said the hunt was neither inhumane nor a threat to the seal population, and insisted that it was an economic necessity for the local community.

Rebecca Aldworth, the HSI's director of Canadian wildlife issues, said she believed the McCartneys' visit would give the campaign a significant boost.

"I think their visit will also force the Canadian Government to take a long hard look at what they are doing," she said.

Sealers, who are mainly from nearby Newfoundland and also work as commercial fisherman, argue that they rely on the income generated by the hunt.

Although there is no official start date for the hunt, it usually begins in the last week of March.

Pups can be killed as soon as they begin to shed the white coats they are born with, when they are around 12 days old.

The most prized pelts, which can fetch as much as 55 Canadian dollars (£28) each, come from pups who have just finished moulting, and are around 19 days old.

The quota in 2005 for how many seals could be culled was set at around 320,000, as part of a figure of 975,000 over three years.

No quota has yet been set for this year, but a decision is imminent.