September 23, 2021
Rt Honourable Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Rt Honourable Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Rt Honourable George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rt Honourable Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Secretary of State for International Trade
As you are well-aware, there has been widespread and deep concern over the unnecessary dolphin killing of 1,428 Atlantic white-sided dolphins on September 12th in the Grindadráp. By all accounts, it was heart-breaking to watch the cruelty, scale and chaos of that particular hunt in the Faroe Islands, which has led to an international outcry.
The urgent protection of our biodiversity and marine wildlife is not a Faroe Island issue or a British issue – it is a global issue and it affects all of us. With each Grindadráp, the Faroe Islands demonstrates its blatant contempt for the urgent need for taking a sensible approach to wildlife preservation, the protection of rare and important species and the respect for ethical and environmental norms.
The UK government has demonstrated that it is an enlightened global leader on environment and climate change. Just yesterday at the UN General Assembly in New York, you told world leaders that we are approaching a critical turning point and it is time to ‘grow up’ and do what is necessary to protect our planet. That it is, indeed, ‘easy being green’ and make small changes that will have a big impact on our planet and very little impact on humanity.
Banning the Grindadráp is one such change. And it is urgently needed.
We, the undersigned of this letter, are are calling on the UK government to stand up to the Faroe Islands, on behalf of the global community, and demand a ban of this cruel and outdated practice. We ask that the UK government express its concern to the Faroe Islands’ government and call on it to take the following specific actions:
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Suspend immediately all Grindadráp until further notice, particularly in light of the ongoing review by the Faroe Islands’ government of its policy.
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Change the existing regulatory framework governing the Grindadráp to prohibit all such cetacean hunting in the future.
We can appreciate that this change has significance and relevance that is linked to the Faroe Islands’ history and traditions. However, as many other countries have done in the past, including the UK, it is time for the Faroe Islands’ government to recognise that the Grindadráp is not an acceptable practice and must end.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter
Best regards.
The Stop the Grind coalition