Inhumane hunting of Calderon dolphins

20.7.2009

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3900/09
by Sajjad Karim (ECR)
to the Commission

The Faroe Islands are an autonomous province of Denmark and are not part of the European Union. I understand that every year many Calderon dolphins (otherwise known as pilot whales) are killed by inhabitants of these islands as part of a community effort for storing whale meat and products for the winter. I understand that the local community make use of most parts of the dolphin and that there is little wastage of the animal products produced.

My concern is that the slaughter of the dolphins appears to be inhumane. I understand that the method of hunting involves driving the dolphins together into a bay or onto a beach, which clearly puts the animals under stress. Human rights groups have distributed photos showing a recent cull that can be accessed on the following web pages: http://www.seashepherd.org/whales/danish-faeroe-islands.html and http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/editorial-080610-1.html

Has the Commission taken action either to encourage the community in the Faroe Islands to end the hunting, to ask Denmark to take such steps, or alternatively to encourage the use of a hunting method which is more humane?

OJ C 10 E, 14/01/2011