Whaling (Hansard, 23 April 1991)

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his current policy concerning whaling for scientific and research purposes.

§ Mr. Curry
The Government oppose any whaling for scientific and research purposes unless the International Whaling Commission is satisfied that it would not endanger the whale stocks in question and would provide valuable information that could not be obtained through non-lethal methods. The United Kingdom has taken the lead in sponsoring or co-sponsoring IWC resolutions calling upon the Governments of Japan, Norway, Iceland and Korea to reconsider their research programmes which did not fully meet these criteria. Iceland and Korea are not now carrying on scientific research, and programmes by Japan and Norway involve much lower numbers than was originally planned. We shall continue our firm policy against unjustified scientific whaling.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to meet his(a) Japanese, (b) Norwegian and (c) Icelandic counterpart to discuss the moratorium on commercial whaling.

§ Mr. Curry
The Governments of Japan, Norway and Iceland are kept well aware of our views on the moratorium on commercial whaling. I have also raised it in my recent meeting in Norway with the Norwegian Fisheries Minister. The moratorium will be discussed again at the forthcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Reykjavik at the end of May.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will continue to support a moratorium on commercial whaling; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Curry
Yes: the conditions for lifting the moratorium are not met.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has sought any scientific advice on new whaling techniques.
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§ Mr. Curry
Developments in techniques have been reported to the International Whaling Commission each year and we shall be seeking a further evaluation of these at the forthcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many representations he has received about the moratorium on commercial whaling.

§ Mr. Curry
We have received a great many representations about the moratorium on commercial whaling, many of which recognise the leading role the United Kingdom has played in working for the conservation of whales. We shall continue this work.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which environmental groups he has consulted about the moratorium on commercial whaling.

§ Mr. Gummer
My officials have recently discussed the moratorium on commercial whaling with representatives of Wildlife Link, the liaison body for the following major voluntary organisations in the UK concerned with wildlife: Care for the Wild, the Environmental Investigation Agency, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the International League for the Protection of Cetaceans, the Marine Conservation Society, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the World Wide Fund for Nature. I shall be meeting them myself shortly.