Gross! Norway Is Using Whale Meat To Feed Animals In The Fur Industry
In 2014, more than 113 tons of whale meat was sold to the largest manufacturer of animal feed for the Norwegian fur industry.
Can it get any more wrong than this? According to recent reports, there is an inexplicable link between the unnecessary – and brutal – hunting of whales and the fur industry. Information unearthed by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) reveals that a large portion of the whale meat caught in 2014 was being used for animal feed for the Norwegian fur industry.
This is shocking news, considering that the remaining countries that continue to allow whaling – Norway, Iceland, and Japan – purportedly do so for scientific purposes. Such is maintained, even though there has been no documented scientific research being used in any reputable scientific journal. Nonetheless, the practice continues.
Jennifer Lonsdale, director of the EIA told Think Progress:
“We’ve been really concerned about the fact that whaling continues, and [that] in cahoots with Iceland, [Norway has] been exporting whales to Japan. Why would a wealthy country like Norway insist on carrying on whaling?”
In the past four years, Norway has butchered more whales than any other country. And, according to the documents, has been using a large portion of it to feed animals raised for their fur. In 2014, more than 113 tons of whale meat – the equivalent to about 75 minke whales – was used by Rogaland Pelsdyrfôrlaget, the largest manufacturer of animal feed for the Norwegian fur industry.
“Whaling is inherently cruel and has no place in a civilized society,” said Susan Millward, executive director of AWI, in a statement. “Killing these sentient and magnificent animals to feed suffering animals on fur farms underscores why the world opposes whaling, and clearly demonstrates that Norwegians have no legitimate need for whale meat.”
Because the industry is outdated and unnecessary, activists have been campaigning for an end to whaling for years. Unfortunately, the payoff has been slow.
In case you’re unaware, the fur trade industry is notorious for being one of the cruelest and most ruthless that exists. Animals are stolen from the wild and kept in small cages until they’re killed. And, it is not uncommon for their deaths to be needlessly painful or conducted through barbaric methods, such as electrocution through the anus or gassing so the pelts may be preserved.
2016 by Amanda Froelich
Photo Credit: wetpixel.com