Animal Rights Groups Implore Obama To Impose Trade Sanctions On Iceland

A coalition of 20 animal rights and environmentalist groups have called on US President Barack Obama to impose sanctions on Iceland over whaling.

In the letter in question, the undersigned point out the recent shipment of endangered fin whale meat from Iceland, most likely on its way to Japan.

While Obama has made direct statements about Iceland’s whaling practices, warning that he believes the issue should “receive the highest level of attention”, the undersigned believe the US president needs to now take further action.

“We therefore urge you to immediately impose more substantive measures as allowed under the Pelly Amendment, including the imposition of targeted trade sanctions against companies in Iceland with ties to the whaling industry … until such time as Iceland ceases its commercial whaling program and international commercial trade in whale products,” the letter concludes.

Amongst those companies with ties to the whaling industry is HB Grandi, a fishing corporation, which is directly connected to the whaling company Hvalur hf. Hvalur’s managing director, Kristján Loftsson (seen above, left), is deputy chairman of HB Grandi. Árni Vilhjálmsson, chairman of Hvalur, is also chair of HB Grandi.