David Cameron to take serious diplomatic action against commercial whaling

Japan, Norway & Iceland have killed more than 30,000 whales, defying the global ban. In 2014 the ICJ ruled Japan’s ‘scientific’ Southern Ocean whaling illegal, but Japan is preparing to kill 4,000 more whales in Antarctica. The whaling ban is vital but under attack. It must be enforced & protected.

Please act on your manifesto commitment to oppose commercial whaling by committing to:

1) Raise Japan's ongoing 'scientific' whaling, and efforts to undermine the bans on whaling and trade in whale products, in the context of: a) the EU-Japan free trade agreement negotiations; b) Japan’s campaign to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

2) Instruct senior UK ministers to raise objections to commercial cetacean hunting, with Japan, Norway & Iceland at every opportunity.

The UK Government is committed to delivering its manifesto commitment of opposing any resumption of commercial whaling, by continuing to support the global moratorium established by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The UK Government remains strongly opposed to the hunting of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. We believe that the hunting of cetaceans involves unacceptable cruelty, and that well managed, responsible tourism is the only truly sustainable use of these animals.

The UK Government plays a leading role in championing the conservation and welfare of all cetaceans both in the UK and internationally. We are particularly active in the IWC where we are well respected and maintain a strong and vocal presence in support of the moratorium. We continue to lead calls for those countries that still engage in commercial whaling practices, such as Iceland and Norway, to stop.

The UK Government also considers there to be no valid argument for lethal scientific research on cetaceans and we welcomed the judgment of the International Court of Justice in 2014. We have already voiced our opposition to Japan’s new programme of special permit whaling in the Antarctic, and its on-going programme in the North Pacific, directly to the Japanese Government several times during 2015. Most recently, in July 2015, Minister of State for farming, food and marine environment, George Eustice, wrote to the Japanese Government raising our opposition to their on-going coastal hunts and their continued programme of lethal scientific research on cetaceans.