Recently, tales of woe from the UK about horsemeat found in products labelled 'beef'... now THIS!
Over the past few weeks, Faroe Islands pilot whale blubber has been served on the ferry Norrona, on the crossing between Denmark and Iceland. And travellers were not told what they were eating!
Andreas Morlok, CEO of the European dolphin and whale protection organisation ProWal is disgusted: "The pilot whale blubber is not labelled, guests have no idea what's being offered. The chef only gives information verbally when asked, that the dish is actually pilot whale blubber. This was confirmed by a scientist from the Faroe Islands. Furthermore, there's no warning sign that pilot whale blubber is highly contaminated with environmental poisons as PCBs and methyl-mercury, which can be very dangerous to human health."
Scientists have proved that Faroese children have high levels of learning deficiencies, as well as disorders in the development of motor skills and the central nervous system, because of their consumption of pilot whale meat. As infants, they already absorb PCB poisons through their mothers' milk, which is showing the highest toxic saturation worldwide. The percentage of Faroese afflicted with the nervous disorder Parkinsons Disease is double that on the Danish mainland, and the quality of male semen is also heavily affected by these toxins. It is not surprising that the World Health Organization (WHO) is urgently trying to dissuade people from consuming whale
products. In the EU, these products are regarded as 'hazardous material'.
The Faroese shipping company Smyril-Line's ferry Norrona sails regularly between the Danish harbour town Hirtshals and Thorshaven, capital of the Faroe Islands. Hirtshals and its surrounding waters fall under the jurisdiction of Denmark, an EU member. The importation and commercial marketing of dolphin and whale products is strictly forbidden in the EU.
ProWal has denounced Smyril-Line to the Danish authorities, who were urged to confiscate any remaining pilot whale product at the ferry's next arrival, to denounce Smyril-Line for violations against European laws and to start legal action. Danish animal rights organisations have informed the Danish FDA and the EU Commission, and urged them to hold Smyril-Line accountable.
The Faroes pilot whale hunt not only supplies the islanders but has an obvious commercial aspect, a fact denied by the Faroe Islands and Denmark: "Oh, it's just traditional hunting..." and "We only take enough to sustain our families..." Really??!!
One wonders where else that blubber is being sent. What's to stop this toxic crap being added to beef products too?
Over the past few weeks, Faroe Islands pilot whale blubber has been served on the ferry Norrona, on the crossing between Denmark and Iceland. And travellers were not told what they were eating!
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| Lunch, anyone? |
Scientists have proved that Faroese children have high levels of learning deficiencies, as well as disorders in the development of motor skills and the central nervous system, because of their consumption of pilot whale meat. As infants, they already absorb PCB poisons through their mothers' milk, which is showing the highest toxic saturation worldwide. The percentage of Faroese afflicted with the nervous disorder Parkinsons Disease is double that on the Danish mainland, and the quality of male semen is also heavily affected by these toxins. It is not surprising that the World Health Organization (WHO) is urgently trying to dissuade people from consuming whale
products. In the EU, these products are regarded as 'hazardous material'.The Faroese shipping company Smyril-Line's ferry Norrona sails regularly between the Danish harbour town Hirtshals and Thorshaven, capital of the Faroe Islands. Hirtshals and its surrounding waters fall under the jurisdiction of Denmark, an EU member. The importation and commercial marketing of dolphin and whale products is strictly forbidden in the EU.
ProWal has denounced Smyril-Line to the Danish authorities, who were urged to confiscate any remaining pilot whale product at the ferry's next arrival, to denounce Smyril-Line for violations against European laws and to start legal action. Danish animal rights organisations have informed the Danish FDA and the EU Commission, and urged them to hold Smyril-Line accountable.
The Faroes pilot whale hunt not only supplies the islanders but has an obvious commercial aspect, a fact denied by the Faroe Islands and Denmark: "Oh, it's just traditional hunting..." and "We only take enough to sustain our families..." Really??!!
One wonders where else that blubber is being sent. What's to stop this toxic crap being added to beef products too?
What is the problem eating horsemeat? Horsemeat is just one of your own country’s billion dollar export products,- what is the scandal of eating commodity’s legally produced in NZ?
ReplyDeleteI can see the problem in selling wrongly labeled products, but I´m sure that´s not entirely what blew this case out of proportions. Clearly the ”scandal” is the taboo connected with consuming horsemeat.
Despite the apparent dismay of getting horsemeat in the mouth, the slaughtering of these “holy” tabooed animals seems not to be an issue of yours , as long as it adds to the GDP of NZ?
Paranoia aside, what odds do you think are better, - ”crap” being added to your beef product by a slice of one of the 500 ton´es commercially slaughtered worn out rodeo/racehorses from New Zealand or a piece of community level organized/ non- commercial /non-exported, whale blubber from Faroe Islands?
Once again, Big Mac, you're off on a tangent.
ReplyDeleteMy post was NOT about horsemeat. The reference to it being found in UK beef products made global headlines, because of the fraudulent labelling. The British public, which for the most part does not eat horsemeat, was disgusted.
The reference was a topical lead-in to the story about a Faroese ferry selling whalemeat, also fraudulently labelled.
You constantly fail to grasp that the idea of hunting and consuming whale is repugnant to the majority of the world. In addition, most sane people won't consume meat that is highly toxic.
Regarding your 'red herring' about "the odds": knowing how highly controlled and supervised the NZ commercial meat industry is, the possibility of horsemeat contaminating our beef is non-existant. There is only one horse slaughterhouse in NZ licensed to export horsemeat for human consumption, and it's NOT a commercial beef/lamb abbatoir. It only produces for export: in 2012, 392,000kg of horsemeat (that's 392 tonnes, NOT 500, as you say) was sent from NZ, $2m worth (so, NOT as you claim, a "billion dollar" export product). The bulk went to Europe.
Most NZ owners, when their horses ccan no longer be ridden, sell them to be made into petfood - that is their choice as the owner, and is not illegal. Some illegally killed horsemeat is sold at street markets in lower socio-economic areas of Auckland, to the Pacific Island communities. It is potentially dangerous as the meat is not regulated for human consumption.
And by the way, you really should cease calling the grindadrap 'non-commercial'. You add no credence to your debate: there is conclusive proof of its commercialism. There ARE more whales killed than can be consumed locally; the meat IS retailed; it IS exported.
You may underplay the role of the reference to the horsemeat scandal as a “topical lead-in”, but the main idea is clear, - to prepare ground by smearing your opponent. Instead of reasonable argumentation you resort to the shady argumentation fallacy of ASSOCIATING him with criminal acts (horsemeat scandal) performed elsewhere. http://www.fallacyfiles.org/adnazium.html And in the end of the article you can´t help yourself and go all in by INSINUATING explicitly that this (fraudulent crime, - blubber mixed into meatproducts) is just what might have happened.
ReplyDeleteTalk about “ red herring”, your delusive fantasy about blubber being added to beef products, with NOTHING whatsoever to back up your hideous claim, is a sad example of what happens when lack of arguments turn into despair and paranoid wishful thinking.
You seem to be provoked by the fact that FI does not export whale meat, - for your added information in fact FI do not export ANY meat products AT ALL, and therefore could not mix blubber up with meat, even if wanting so.
With a little minimum of finesse and courage you would dare to face the points that I make in the horse vs. whale comparison.
ReplyDeleteBoth are “holy animals”, i.e. for no apparent reason they are considered taboo in large parts of the world. Intelligent people though, can see through this and understand the irrationality and recognize this phenomenon is culture specific and not based on inevitable logic. Intelligent people therefore do not hinder other cultures their food since they know such taboos at the end are just a “trick of the mind”
You however seem not to be able to realize the one-dimensional mindset in expressing this sentence: “You constantly fail to grasp that the idea of hunting and consuming whale is repugnant to the majority of the world.”
And SO is horsemeat consumption, same thing, but you couldn’t care less.
Not only do NZ slaughter animals of which consuming is “repugnant to the majority of the world” you also exploit it commercially.
My point is you are desperately seeking for proofs of your own prejudice in faraway cultures you don´t bother to understand or have visited, and totally ignore that the whole world of people opposed to consuming horsemeat (oh yes there are plenty anti-horse- slaughter activists too) could judge you with exact same arguments.
ReplyDeleteI also notice your urge to excuse or play down some facts, as if it was relevant to your share of some kind of responsibility. When I say 500 tonnes, you say 392 tonnes, as if then everything is ok? Your number is for one specific year, other years might have been higher or lower, so 500 are not way of. Figures are per year so they add up quickly and fact remains, you kill a lot of horses for the sake of money.
You mention the NZ slaughterhouse is licensed for human consumption, but in next sentence you play it down “Most NZ owners, when their horses can no longer be ridden, sell them to be made into petfood” Ok? – but still remains you slaughter for human consumption!
Also a pin seemingly to support your argumentation is that “the horsemeat is exported”, and even better –“to Europe”. Is it a way to say “it is not my fault”? You feel less guilty if someone else consumes it, even though you are the financial kingpin and the one who pull the trigger?
And I don’t get your sentence ( quote) “ and it's NOT a commercial beef/lamb abattoir”....?? ehhh no it is a HORSE abattoir, and it IS commercial.
Facts are by your own words, NZ kills horses for commercial reasons, for human consumption, several hundred tonnes every year.
The case is your country NZ does kill horses for strictly commercial reasons. You probably feel to morally righteous to eat it yourself, but sure do not mind getting the profit.
Very conveniently you avoid my reference to NZ rodeo industry where animals are purely an object of terror for your amusement. How convenient to have a slaughterhouse in the backyard so the tormented, damaged, injured, obsolete, unwanted horses can be finished off and sold out of the country and wind up God knows where.
ReplyDeleteNorrøna is a Faroese ferry, the only sea-link to the mainland. The main clientele is probably Faroese with a significant increase of tourists in the summer period.
Selling a product with a misleading label is not ok. So if that is the case onboard I will never defend that.
To my knowledge the blubber is served at the buffet with a wide range of dishes in all kinds of combinations and accessories, you pay once and eat as much as you can.
As I recall buffet´s in general, it is not uncommon that not all dishes are labeled. I tried to Google some buffet pictures
http://goo.gl/k1Cp2
and as you can see on the pictures it is hard to find any labels at all.
I could overreact and call them all fraudulent and in business of poisoning people, be hysteric and pour out my harm in a blog, - but I behave and chill down and ask myself, when the he.. have I taken interest in buffet labeling??
At the same time I guarantee you nobody is ever going to put blubber in his mouth by mistake. The smell and greasy consistence immediately disgusts any foreign nose and tongue. The glory is solely for Faroese audiences who do appreciate and enjoy with great relish.
As I have mentioned before, the serving in some restaurants is addressed to Faroese people who for some reason do not have access or on special occasions where we enjoy ourselves having a feast. If a tourist wants to try some, fine, he has proven his manhood after one piece, which probably will be his last.
This flexible system is perfect for our little society, we eat what we eat and can access it in our everyday surroundings
But since every single share of whalemeat have been distributed freely to the community in the first place, by obvious reason there is little commercial ground in selling to each other. When that still happens, it is someone’s personal share that shifts hands, mainly due the geo/demographic division into whaling regions, where some may be low on supply. The payment involved is only fair for this service.
If you like to call this pragmatic and reasonable shifting of shares between ourselves commercial business be my guest, if you enjoy the twist of words I will not spoil the pleasure.
But then you own your readers to pinpoint exactly where in Faroe Islands you find these basic components of a commercial driven hunt:
The company’s? The factorys? The licence? The staff? The fleet? The export? The marketing? The market? The revenue?
... and while you are at it, reflect over why you can’t find just one single piece on the list!!