Faroese health director surprised by whistleblower’s direct call to prime minister

The Faroe Islands’ chief medical officer has expressed surprise after learning that an anonymous whistleblower contacted Prime Minister John Rajani directly in 2021 to report that salmon farming company Bakkafrost had been formally notified of a potential fine, according to national broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya.

Birna Mørkøre, the islands’ director of health, told the broadcaster she was unaware of any reason for the whistleblower—referred to locally as fútin—to bypass official channels. “This is not standard procedure,” Mørkøre stated, adding that the Health Authority had issued Bakkafrost a notice for a fine that could have reached 67 million Danish kroner.

The whistleblower does not fall under the prime minister’s administrative authority, Mørkøre noted, leaving it unclear why the call was made.