A short news piece in Icelandic Review reports that the Iceland Nature Conservation Association has filed a formal complaint with the Parliamentary Ombudsman regarding former Minister of Agriculture, Bjarni Benediktsson’s decision to issue 5-year fin and minke hunting whale permits.
We wrote a blog about this disgraceful move at the time, which occurred in the dying days of Iceland’s previous government. The Association’s complaint centres around whether the Minister even had the authority to issue the permits since he only held the role in a caretaker position until new elections had been completed.
An initial response to the complaint from the Ministry rather unhelpfully said that “..there is no case law or other legal solutions in Icelandic law that further or unequivocally explain the content of the Minister's powers in the management of duties.” So in other words, they are buck-passing to the Ombudsman and steering clear of controversy.
In a separate move, a ministerial workgroup, established under the previous government in February 2024, is due to release findings on whether whaling is even legal in Iceland. These findings will need to tackle such issues as the right to maintain a profession, animal welfare laws, and ministerial power.
Photo credit: Richard Lovelock
Despite commercial whaling decimating whale populations globally for over a hundred years, there are still countries which think it is acceptable to hunt and kill whales for profit. Our work plays a vital role in helping to put pressure on UK and other governments to drive an end to commercial whaling globally, so please support us at www.orca.org.uk/donate to help us continue this important work