2012-10-05

Whale Meat Salami Seized At NZ Airport

According to reports in New Zealand, a salami produced from whale meat has been seized by officials at Auckland Airport. The meat was confiscated from two New Zealand travellers who had purchased it in Norway as a souvenir.

Health standards officials were concerned about possible diseases in the meat, but there were also concerns about whether the item was illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which prohibits the import of internationally protect species.

In 2011,  an undercover operation carried out by WDC and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) revealed that Iceland was openly selling whale meat packaged for export in the departure area at Keflavik airport to travellers who, if they made the purchase, risked arrest from breaking CITES regulations. The WDC operation led to the removal of the meat from sale at the airport and warnings being issued by UK Foreign Office and other governments to tourists not to risk breaching international law by bring the meat back from trips to Iceland.