WDC EU success!

Our friends, Whale & Dolphin Conservation, have recently had a great success: the majority of EU parliamentarians have voted in favour of a resolution to ban the movement of whale meat through EU ports … all thanks to WDC's tireless campaigning.

For many years, WDC's Stop Whaling team, along with other NGOs, such as Humane Society International, have campaigned to stop whaling, and this is a big step in the right direction.

The EU currently allows whale meat and whale meat products to be carried by ships docking at EU ports, despite the UK and many other EU countries being opposed to whaling. Southampton, Rotterdam, and Hamburg have handled Icelandic and Norwegian ships carrying whale products in the past, and a recent WDC campaign to end the practice was supported by over 100,000 people.

The resolution being put forward strongly condemns Norway's whaling, and it's trade in whale products, and the vote by MEPs shows that the vast majority are against whaling. Of course, it's early days, and there is still much work for WDC and other organisations to do, to ensure that MEP's support is turned into a legal ban, but it's a very promising step.

Astrid Fuchs, the WDC Stop Whaling lead, says:

"WDC has worked very hard with MEPs to get them to support our view on this issue, and we are delighted with the outcome as it sends a strong signal to the EU Commission and all Member States: Killing whales is cruel and unnecessary and not at all in line with EU policies. WDC has campaigned on this issue for years and it is good to see progress."

With the resolution, the EU Commission now has a clear mandate to stop the indirect support of whaling activities, calling for it to 'look into all possible ways of ensuring that whale meat is no longer legally allowed to transit through EU ports, including by recommending a ban on such transits as an exceptional measure.' It also calls on Norway to cease all commercial whaling operations, and to abide by the current international ban on commercial whaling and trade in whale meat products.

Fuchs concludes:

"WDC will continue to push to ensure that the calls of the EU Parliament – which acts as the voice of the public in Europe – are followed by the necessary actions."

The WDC will be continuing its work, engaging with EU Member States, and pressing for diplomatic action against Norway, unless it stops whaling. We'll keep you posted on the latest updates and news from WDC and its fight to end whaling. In the meantime, find out more about its efforts on its website … click the logo, left, or keep up-to-date with all the latest developments on Facebook and twitter.

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