§ Mr. RobathanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is Her Majesty's Government policy on the resumption of commercial whaling. [28843]
§ Mr. BaldryThe United Kingdom has strongly supported the International Whaling Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling since it came into force in 1986. Commercial whaling meets no pressing nutritional, economic or social needs and, as the growing global demand to watch whales in the wild demonstrates, it is possible for local communities to derive substantial benefits from whales without the need to kill them. Commercial whaling is opposed by the vast majority of our citizens and by Parliament, as well as by many of the countries concerned with the conservation and management of whales through the International Whaling Commission. Accordingly, the UK will oppose any move to end the current moratorium on commercial whaling.