Iceland has resumed whale meat exports after a gap of more than 15 years. It recently sold minke whale meat from its scientific whaling programme to the Faroe Islands.

Environmental groups say the trade contravenes the un's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites). Iceland's whaling commissioner, however, says that the trading is legal as Iceland and Faroe Islands have jointly created a free trade area, where trade of whale products is permitted. Iceland has joined Norway and Japan in exempting itself from the cites restrictions. But environmentalists argue that Faroe Islands fall under the ambit of cites, since Denmark, which handles the island's foreign policy, is a signatory to the accord.