(See also 2021-update below). During my work as a reporter and journalist, I did a story about a celebrity chef and his restaurant in Berlin. I didn’t only spend time in his kitchen. I also visited the small farm he got his “products” from, fruit, vegetables – and meat. The farmer killed a duck, and ruby-red blood dripped down.
Again and again, the “Red Seas of the Faroe Islands” are a hot topic (social media, newspaper headlines, one-to-one-talks), on a global scale - and also among islanders themselves. The locals: a majority defends the pilot whale catch (“grind”). Lots of people from other countries condemn it. I won’t take sides here and now. There's no point in doing that, because what will happen is predictable. Let’s assume that I write: I am against the grind, it is barbaric and it has to stop right away. From outside the Faroes, that kind of statement would probably be highly popular. Let us also imagine the opposite: I defend the grind, I say it’s sustainable, communal and regulated. Most likely, that would cause annoyance abroad. Third scenario: I, in parts, understand both points of view – also not popular. The lesson is clear: Whatsoever I write. It will lead to nothing. Therefore, first and foremost, this post is not about opinions. It’s about questions.
Do you know what’s going on in a slaughterhouse? Big or small, across the globe, in your home town, country, Asia, America, all over Europe? And do you really want to know?
In case you eat meat: How often? What kind of meat do you buy? What do you know about the food you add to your supermarket trolley and about the way it has been produced?
What kind of a life do animals have in animal farms? And does any “clean way” to kill animals exist?
Is there a difference between eating a pig and eating a pilot whale? Some animals: are they “better” than others because they look cute, are more intelligent or form social ties? And are pilot whales an endangered species?
Isn’t it simply outdated to kill pilot whales? Nowadays, eating too much whale meat and blubber clearly has a negative impact on people's health. Why do people eat it, still?
Should we all go veggie? Could we all go veggie, on a global scale? What about climate and ground conditions in the Faroe Islands? What about fruit and vegetables in a Faroese supermarket, price and country of origin included? What about environmental pollution caused by transport? And what about the urban movement to eat local foods?
Quote from the official website “Whales and Whaling in the Faroe Islands” (whaling.fo): “Faroese animal welfare legislation, which also applies to whaling, stipulates that animals must be killed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Whales are killed on the shore and in the shallows of bays especially suited and authorized for the purpose, under the supervision of locally elected officials and by people with a required license.” Thought – grind carried out according to the rules taken for granted: Are all grind bays currently in use particularly and equally “suited”?
Thought regarding the strategy of some anti-whaling people: Insults, mobbing and slander, offending the Faroese, community and nation, putting grind comments all over social media pages and profiles at random – what’s that supposed to achieve? In the end: Will any aggressive attitude help you reach your goal? Or is this approach - from the viewpoint of an opponent of the grind - eventually without any alternative?
Whaling: a lot of questions. Again and again, also a topic among islanders, among themselves. Not everyone is in favor of the grind anymore. The future will tell which opinion will become prevalent. When? It is still uncertain.
I have watched several grinds in the Faroe Islands. This post get’s updated periodically (if necessary).
Update September 2021: It’s all over the news, worldwide. If the numbers are correct ultimately, 1428 springarar, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, have been killed in the islands yesterday. This particular grind gets condemned by a large number of Faroese, as I can tell by comments added to Faroese media coverage, comments via Facebook and conversations. Because speedboats and water scooters have been among the smaller boats. Because the killing of the animals took way too long and didn’t follow the rules, some say. Because of the enormous number of animals. And because it might very well be that dolphins have been severely injured by boat engines (propellers), according to pictures published - before they were finally killed. September-2021-Update 2: In recent days, pieces of dolphin blubber were spotted around the islands, floating in the ocean. Thrown away after the killing, apparently. Consequences, changes, rethinking: ahead? The statement of the Faroese government so far: Dolphin hunt to be evaluated.