British tourists warned over whale meat

UK tourists have been warned they will face stiff penalties if they attempt to bring whale meat into Britain.

On Wednesday, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice for anyone visiting Iceland, where whale meat is readily available to buy. Statistics show that around 70,000 British tourists visit Iceland each year.

The importation of whale meat into Britain and the European Union is outlawed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the penalty for anyone caught includes the seizure of goods, a £5,000 maximum fine and a possible prison sentence.

According to a report by The Guardian newspaper, the Foreign Office's decision to review its travel advice follows reports that whale meat is being offered for sale in Keflavik Airport near Reykjavik, Iceland's largest international airport. However, the move appears to be pre-emptive.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the newspaper: "There have been no reports of whale meat on sale in the UK or being seized at the border."

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