Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are currently intensifying pressure on the European Commission to take action against Faroese whale hunting, grindadráp, due to recent record-breaking kill numbers and new legal developments within the Faroe Islands. 

After reaching cross-party consensus, the Environment Committee challenged the European Commission on why it has not yet used trade tools to prohibit the practice in the north Atlantic territory.

They also called for: mandatory country-of-origin labelling to enable consumer boycotts of Faroese fish products; revisions to fisheries agreements to include suspension clauses if the practice continues; increased pressure on Denmark to address the issue as an EU member state, and an investigation into reports that Danish police and military resources have supported hunt activities and restricted NGO monitoring.

This comes after reports that recent hunts have had record-high mortality: over 1000 cetaceans were reported killed in 2025 alone, and 2021 saw the slaughter of 1428 white-sided dolphins – which remains the largest single hunt on record.

In late 2024 and 2025, Faroese authorities also issued the first animal-abuse charges related to a pilot whale hunt. Whalers killed approximately 138 pilot whales, and then reportedly abandoned the site to attend a local festival –  leaving 90 surviving whales confined in shallow water for 27 hours. Official investigations by Faroese police also noted that many whales in the pod suffered severe injuries inflicted by boat propellers during the drive.

The Faroese islands are not subject to EU law, but they do rely closely on economic and security ties with the European Union. 

MEPs underlined the benefits the Faroe Islands derive from their relationship with the EU, including preferential trade arrangements with substantial tariff reductions, participation in EU programmes, and security guarantees provided by EU member states.

The Commission acknowledged the concerns, but said it is not currently seeking to renegotiate trade agreements with the Faroe Islands or introduce mandatory origin labelling for fish products – a position that failed to satisfy MEPs across the political spectrum.

Environmental campaign groups have welcomed the unified stance from MEPs across many political groups.

Several MEPs including Cesar Luena, from the Socialist and Democratic Party, warned that the ongoing hunts risk undermining the EU’s international credibility on marine conservation, particularly as the bloc seeks to position itself as a global leader in ocean protection and biodiversity.

Martin Hojsik from The Renew Party said the practice was: “Indiscriminate mass slaughter of sea mammals that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.” 

Everything we’ve done in Nice and in ratifying treaties to protect biodiversity on the high seas becomes pointless. We will look ridiculous to the rest of the world,” Clergeau from the Greens added. 

Tilly Metz, also from the Greens, summed up the frustration, and said: “For me and for many citizens, no culture should be based on slaughter and cruelty. Multiple questions have been sent to the Commission over the last years. The answers have often been vague.”

Listen to this week’s Ocean News Podcast about where Editor Rob Hutchins chats with a Danish animal rights activist who has worked for more than a decade on ending the Faroese grindadráp.