SPAR Norway Under Fire
SPAR NORWAY UNDER FIRE FOR ITS KEY ROLE IN PROPPING UP NORWEGIAN WHALING
SPAR Norway – a part of the international SPAR convenience store chain – is a major enabler and supporter of Norway’s struggling whaling industry.
Meat products from the hunts of protected minke whales killed in Norwegian waters are sold in SPAR Norway stores as well as in other retail outlets also owned by parent company NorgesGruppen.
There are currently 276 SPAR and EuroSPAR stores in Norway and investigations this summer found a variety of whale products on sale.
Europe mixed up in the traffic of whale meat
The Winter Bay left Iceland on June 4 with a little less than 2000 tons of whale meat in destination to Japan. Iceland is with Norway the only country next to the European Union authorizing whaling.
The European Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora stipulates that Member States should prohibit the transport of specimens of all cetacean species living or dead or of by-products.
In fact, the Winter Bay came to be sold by its Norwegian ship-owner to a Latvian ship-owner, Aquaship Ltd. based in Riga. Latvia is a member of the European Union since 2004.
Europe mixed up in the traffic of whale meat
The Winter Bay left Iceland on June 4 with a little less than 2000 tons of whale meat in destination to Japan. Iceland is with Norway the only country next to the European Union authorizing whaling.
The European Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora stipulates that Member States should prohibit the transport of specimens of all cetacean species living or dead or of by-products.
In fact, the Winter Bay came to be sold by its Norwegian ship-owner to a Latvian ship-owner, Aquaship Ltd. based in Riga. Latvia is a member of the European Union since 2004.
Good news and Happy New Year!
Two joyful major events simultaneously occurred and must be celebrated.
1 – For the first time in 27 years, Japan has been banned from harpoon fishing whales in Antarctica. Hundreds of sea mammals thus avoid suffering from pain and death, thanks to a brittle but tangible truce allowing southern hemisphere whales to finally be given a blow-er.
2 –Tamil Nadu’s (India) 98 domestic elephants are on vacation from December 11, 2014, to January 27, 2015. They’ve all been trucked and gathered into two camps – one for religious-use elephants, one for forest landscaping-use elephants – to undergo rejuvenation and physical and mental health monitoring. Meanwhile, mahouts are taught how to better take care of their pachyderms.
Good news and Happy New Year!
Two joyful major events simultaneously occurred and must be celebrated.
1 – For the first time in 27 years, Japan has been banned from harpoon fishing whales in Antarctica. Hundreds of sea mammals thus avoid suffering from pain and death, thanks to a brittle but tangible truce allowing southern hemisphere whales to finally be given a blow-er.
2 –Tamil Nadu’s (India) 98 domestic elephants are on vacation from December 11, 2014, to January 27, 2015. They’ve all been trucked and gathered into two camps – one for religious-use elephants, one for forest landscaping-use elephants – to undergo rejuvenation and physical and mental health monitoring. Meanwhile, mahouts are taught how to better take care of their pachyderms.
