Iceland’s Minister of Health does not expect decision on whaling license for Hval hf. soon

Iceland’s Minister of Health, Willum Þór Þórsson, has stated that he does not expect a decision to be made regarding the granting of an indefinite whaling license to Hval hf. in the coming weeks. The Prime Minister and the acting Minister of Food, Bjarni Benediktsson, have not ruled out the possibility of issuing the permit.

During a recent program, guests discussed the appropriateness of allowing the controversial decision on whaling to be made by the acting government. Minister Þórsson confirmed that this issue had not been presented to the cabinet. He commented, “I do not expect that decision to land on the table in these weeks that the acting government will be in office.”

Food Minister Bjarni Benediktsson appointed Jón Gunnarsson as his special representative in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, a candidate for the Left-Green Movement in North Reykjavík, asserted that the party should not be held accountable for the whaling issue after it left the government, stating, “No, I do not see that working out.”

Sigríður Svavarsdóttir, the former Food Minister, temporarily banned whaling last summer, a move deemed inconsistent with the law by the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Jens Garðar Helgason, leader of the Independence Party in North-East District, pointed out that Hval hf. has the right to pursue whaling activities.

Separation of political and administrative decisions on the matter has become a point of contention, with varying opinions on whether the whaling permit should be renewed. Social Democratic leader Davíð Þór Jónsson clearly opposed the renewal, stating simply, “No.”