Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether officials from her Department will attend the next meeting of the Joint Committee established under the UK–Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement.

The UK strongly opposes the hunting of all cetaceans other than some limited activities by indigenous people for clearly defined subsistence needs. Defra officials most recently raised the UK's opposition to Faroese cetacean hunting at official level in June 2026 as part of the UK-Faroe Islands fisheries intersessional. This will be raised again at head of delegation level during formal UK-Faroe Islands bilateral fisheries negotiations in November 2026. Defra officials will attend the next meeting of the Joint Committee established under the UK–Faroe Islands Free Trade Agreement. Ministers and senior officials will continue to raise the issue with the Faroese at every appropriate opportunity.