Chris Packham has slammed the Labour government for being “complicit” in the deaths of thousands of dolphins on the Faroe Islands.

Some 15 Whitehall departments have no idea if fish they buy is from the Faroe Islands where hundreds of dolphins are brutally slaughtered each year, Freedom of Information requests have revealed.

Mr Packham said: “For decades myself and campaigners including Captain Paul Watson have been working to end the senseless killing of these highly intelligent, sentient mammals.

“Labour has long touted its strong animal rights record yet is complicit in the deaths of thousands of dolphins taking place so close to our shores. The UK Government must use their power through the free trade deal to put an end to these unnecessary, unregulated and brutal hunts.”

Campaigners said the UK’s £1.3billion imports of Faroese fish each year props up the industry which fuels the hunts.

Trade Minister Douglas Alexander described the hunts on the island nation, just 230 miles north of Scotland, as “unacceptably cruel” in a letter to campaigners

But the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, the body responsible for animal welfare policy, states “the department does not stipulate which countries these products should originate from as part of its contracts.”

The Government Property Agency, responsible for many catering contracts across government agencies, confirmed that “GPA does not record the amount of fish or shellfish purchased or its source.”

Other bodies with billion-pound budgets who had no policy to rule out fish originating from the Faroese Islands included the departments for Energy and Net Zero, Education, and the Ministry of Defence.

Only the Department for Work and Pensions was able to confirm that no fish or shellfish from the Faroe Islands was purchased by the department for their canteens, cafes and event catering last year.

Campaigners warn the lack of department buying standards is “completely at odds” with the other Government’s strong commitments to ensuring high animal welfare standards.

Animal welfare campaigner Dominic Dyer, chair of Nature 2030, said: “How are we supposed to take this government seriously if it can’t manage to align its opposition to these barbaric hunts within its own departments?

“The UK cannot claim to uphold high animal welfare standards while turning a blind eye to the brutal dolphin hunts in the Faroe Islands.

“By importing over a billion pounds worth of Faroese fish, we are not just complicit—we are

funding this cruelty. The Government must act decisively to align its trade policies with its

ethical obligations by ending the import of Faroese fish until these hunts are banned.”

The island nation’s dolphin hunts involve powerboats driving the marine mammals to shallow

waters before they are killed in designated killing bays with lances and knives.

Meanwhile UK Shoppers are overwhelmingly in favour of strengthening food labelling to help avoid produce sourced from countries that do not meet UK animal welfare standards

Some 86% shoppers also say clearer food labelling is needed to help them make

informed choices in supermarkets.

Over 60% of the British public have declared they would avoid buying or eating

Faroese fish until the dolphin hunts are stopped.

At least 77% of Britons said public buildings, such as schools and hospitals, should not stock Faroese fish and should be more open about the origins of the fish they serve.

Campaigners want the UK Government to force supermarkets who choose to stock Faroese fish to make this clear on packaging. A Government review into food labelling is set to finish in spring 2025.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “The UK is strongly opposed to the hunting of any cetaceans, including whales, dolphins and porpoises.

“We continue to call on all whaling nations at every appropriate opportunity to cease their whaling activities.”