Inga backs whaling ban and questions iron supplement plan

Education and Children’s Affairs Minister Inga Sæland says she will support the minister responsible for business affairs over a proposed ban on whaling, mbl.is reports. She also says plans by Hvalur hf. chief executive Kristján Loftsson to produce iron supplements from whale meat are “extremely strange”.

During an unscheduled question session in Iceland’s parliament, Independence Party parliamentary group chairman Ólafur Adolfsson asked Sæland about her position on the proposed bill.

Ólafur said that three members of the governing majority, including two from Sæland’s party, had expressed firm support for whaling. He also referred to a recent panel discussion in which none of the governing parties’ parliamentary leaders opposed whaling.

He asked whether banning an entire industry would help address rising prices in society.

Sæland began her response by questioning how sustainable whaling was. She referred to Loftsson’s plans to stop selling whale meat to Japan for the time being and instead use meat from fin whales to produce iron supplements.

“I found this an extremely strange move, I have to admit,” Sæland said. She added that she had no objection to using animal products for human consumption if this was done sustainably.

However, Sæland said she was a strong supporter of animal welfare. She said that when whales were killed and it often took up to half an hour to kill the animal, she considered that animal cruelty.

“If we are killing animals for human consumption and to make use of them, I would like it to be done humanely,” she said. “And if we cannot do it humanely, then ethical questions must also arise over whether it is right to maintain such a hunt.”

When Ólafur asked whether Sæland’s comments meant she could support whaling if more humane killing methods were developed, she said the government was united.