UK ministers and officials regularly raise concerns about the welfare and sustainability implications of cetacean hunts directly with Faroese counterparts. The free trade agreement with the Faroe Islands allows us to raise crucial issues like animal welfare.

UK Ministers and officials highlight our strong opposition to the practice at every appropriate opportunity, including at the last meeting of the UK-Faroe Islands Joint Committee in June 2026, and through our diplomatic channels with the Faroese Representation in London.

UK officials also raised the UK's opposition to cetacean hunting in June 2025 as part of the UK-Faroe Islands fisheries intersessional, and again at head of delegation level during formal UK-Faroe Islands bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2025. By having strong diplomatic and economic relationships, Defra are able to have frank discussions on this issue.

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. Defra officials most recently raised the UK's opposition to Faroese cetacean hunting at official level in June 2026 as part of the UK-Faroe Islands fisheries intersessional. This will be raised again at head of delegation level during formal UK-Faroe Islands bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2026. Defra officials will attend the next meeting of the Joint Committee established under the UK–Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement. Ministers and senior officials will continue to raise the issue with the Faroese at every appropriate opportunity.

The UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement provides an important framework for the UK Government to engage with the Faroese Government. UK officials have and will continue to raise the UK's opposition to cetacean hunting at meetings of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement, which provides a valuable forum for discussions on issues of concern, and for which the agenda is mutually agreed in advance. The Faroese Government is in no doubt as to the strength of feeling and opposition in the UK to cetacean hunting.

The UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement provides an important framework for the UK Government to engage with the Faroese Government. UK officials have and will continue to raise the UK's opposition to cetacean hunting at meetings of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement, which provides a valuable forum for discussions on issues of concern. The Faroese Government is in no doubt as to the strength of feeling and opposition in the UK to cetacean hunting.

The UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement provides an important framework for the UK Government to engage with the Faroese Government. UK officials have and will continue to raise the UK's opposition to cetacean hunting at meetings of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement, which provides a valuable forum for discussions on issues of concern, and for which the agenda is mutually agreed in advance. The Faroese Government is in no doubt as to the strength of feeling and opposition in the UK to cetacean hunting.

By convening an annual Joint Committee, the UK-Faroes FTA provides an effective channel for UK officials from the Department for Business and Trade (in collaboration with other relevant government departments), to review a range of issues with the Faroe Islands. These include animal welfare, which was indeed raised by the UK at the latest Joint Committee, held on 3 June 2026 in London. The Government does and will continue to advocate for the end of all cetacean hunting in the Faroe Islands at every appropriate opportunity.

We remain committed to meeting our international obligations and continue to have concerns about the welfare and sustainability of these hunts.

In December 2025 we published the UK Cetacean Conservation Strategy with devolved governments. This includes species hunted in the Faroe Islands and aims to improve the conservation status of cetaceans in UK waters.

UK ministers and officials consistently call for an end to cetacean hunts in the Faroe Islands. As Chair of the International Whaling Commission’s Conservation Committee and Intersessional Working Group on Welfare, the UK promotes stronger protection and improved welfare for small cetaceans.

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of cetaceans other than limited activities by indigenous people for defined subsistence needs. UK ministers and officials continue to advocate for the end of cetacean hunts in the Faroe Islands at every appropriate opportunity, most recently during formal UK-Faroes bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2025, and I raised this with the Faroese Prime Minister Aksel V. Johannesen when I hosted him in London last year. We also use our role as Chair of the International Whaling Commission's Conservation Committee to raise the profile of small cetaceans, including encouraging more work to improve their protection and address welfare concerns.

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. Cessation of the grindadrap, or “The Grind” would be a positive step in improving the conservation and resilience of these cetacean populations.

The UK will maintain its strong support for the global moratorium on commercial whaling at this year’s International Whaling Commission (IWC70) meeting. UK Ministers and officials also continue to highlight our strong opposition to the practice at every appropriate opportunity, including during formal UK-Faroe Islands bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2025, and through our diplomatic channels with the Faroese Representation in London.

The UK will continue to advocate for the end of cetacean hunts in the Faroe Islands at every appropriate opportunity. The Faroese Government is in no doubt as to the strength of feeling and opposition in the UK.

The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. The Department for Business and Trade utilises the opportunities provided by the UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement to engage the Faroese government on this important matter. The UK-Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee meets annually, and UK officials highlight our strong opposition to the practice at every opportunity, including at the last meeting in February 2024.

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. We reaffirmed our strong support for the global moratorium on commercial whaling at the September International Whaling Commission meeting with Danish government in attendance, where we co-sponsored a resolution on International Legal Obligations in Commercial Whaling. Ministers and senior officials will continue to raise the issue with the Faroese at every appropriate opportunity.

The UK Government considers cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) to be highly intelligent, social animals, with complex needs that are unlikely to be met when removed from their natural marine habitat and kept in captivity.

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 require high standards for the welfare of kept animals. We consider these protections sufficient to ensure cetaceans are not displayed or otherwise kept in captivity in this country.

We are not aware of any cetaceans being kept in captivity or being displayed but if there was any indication that cetaceans were to be displayed or kept in captivity here again then we would of course consider further actions.

The Government is strongly opposed to the hunting of whales and dolphins. UK Officials have raised concerns about this through many engagement channels including at the International Whaling Commission and through the Faroese Embassy in London. My Department continues to utilise the opportunities provided by our Trade Agreement to engage the Faroese government on this important matter, including through specifically raising our serious concerns with the practice at the Joint Committee of the agreement that took place in February 2023.

We continue to use our diplomatic relationship to lobby the Faroes to stop this practice altogether.

The UK Government considers cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) to be highly intelligent, social animals, with complex needs that are unlikely to be met when removed from their natural marine habitat and kept in captivity. The Government does not see merit in licensing either the capture or the private keepership of whales and dolphins.

In addition, under the EU Habitats Directive and the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to deliberately disturb, harm, capture, or kill wild cetaceans. This provides strong legal protection preventing the taking of cetaceans for captivity from EU and UK waters.