36000 kg whale meat illegally imported to Finland from Norway

Finnish Customs investigated illegal imports of about 36 000 kilograms of whale meat from Norway to Finland in 2022, said Customs in a press release on Monday.

The whale meat was imported for use as food for sled dogs. The case involves common mink whale meat, a prohibited item as concerns export from Norway and import to the European Union.

Dog sausages containing whale meat entered Finland as imports. Half of the product contents contained meat from the common mink whale, which is a CITES species, and the other half comprised poultry.

Altogether, 72 000 kilos of dog sausages entered Finland as imports. This type of dog food is not sold on the market. Instead, it is manufactured in Norway based on orders by a Finnish importer.

Dog food containing whale meat was essentially imported because of the affordable price. These imported quantities have fed a large number of dogs, said lead investigator Tuomo Kunnari.

The investigation started when Swedish customs authorities informed Finnish Customs about a cargo shipment that was on its way to Finland, and about anomalies in the customs clearance documents. Swedish Customs intercepted the shipment and re-routed it to Norway.

The CITES Convention protects species of animals and plants threatened by international trade. The common minke whale is covered by the international CITES Convention.

Moreover, the Finnish legal act on protecting whales and Arctic seals prohibits imports of whale meat and other whale products to Finland from all countries.

Apart from the CITES Convention, national CITES legislation in Norway prohibits imports of the common minke whale to Finland for commercial purposes.

Finnish Customs has cooperated with Swedish and Norwegian authorities in the investigation.

The Norwegian police authorities have conducted a preliminary investigation concerning illicit imports of whale meat from Norway to Finland.

Finnish Customs has interviewed five persons in connection with the case that involves an aggravated nature conservation offence and a customs clearance offence. The Prosecution District of Northern Finland is weighing charges in the case.