The grocery store 10/11 ceased selling minke whale meat in its duty free store at Keflavík International Airport on Friday. The sale of the product had garnered considerable attention, both among foreign authorities and animal welfare organizations.
At Keflavík International Airport. Photo by Geir Ólafsson.
Last week the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a warning to travelers regarding the purchase of whale meat at the airport as its import to the UK is in violation of British law and can result in high fines or prison sentences, ruv.is reports.
CEO of 10/11 Árni Pétur Jónsson said the decision had been made without any outside pressure. “We made the decision as we didn’t think it was worth rocking the boat,” he said, adding that the minke meat had proven popular. “It was one of our most asked about products.”
“We also received tips from foreign travel agencies who reported that travelers had gotten into trouble while others threatened to boycott Iceland and stores at Keflavík Airport so we decided it wasn’t worth it,” Jónsson concluded.
The Guardian covered the story last week, stating that “conservationists and UK Foreign Office claim victory” after the whale meat was withdrawn from the store.
Click here to read more about whaling in Iceland.
ESA
