March 25, 2010
Iceland exports whale meat as animal feed
Despite the ban on trade in the EU, Iceland last year managed to export 22 tonnes of whale meat as animal feed to Denmark and even small quantities were exported to Latvia.
This was revealed by whale businessman Kristjan Loftsson. Besides the known export to Japan, small amounts of whale meat had entered the EU. How, he did not know.
The import of whale products in EU countries is prohibited, because of the current worldwide ban on commercial hunting of these marine mammals. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Organisation (WDCS) in Munich called the delivery a scandal.
The trade in whale products gets a new dimension and shows that the whaling industry has no interest in abiding any rules. According to information from the WDCS, last year 22 tonnes of whale meal was exported as animal feed from Iceland to Denmark.
Iceland in recent years has despite the ban on whale hunting by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) approved the hunting of dwarf and fin whales.
Within the IWC approval for a limited commercial catch of no longer endangered species such as the dwarf whale might be possible.