An MEP for the East of England has described Japan’s decision to resume commercial whaling as cruel and sickening.

John Flack, Conservative MEP and animal welfare campaigner, spoke out after Japan announced it would restart commercial whaling in July and would withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, the body tasked with whale conservation.

He said: “Japan is promising to ditch all its international obligations and return to whaling on a massive scale. That would be disastrous for many rare and threatened species which the world community has worked so hard to protect.

“This shows a sickening disregard for the humane treatment of highly intelligent animals and a national immorality over the need to protect threatened species.

“It is cruel and a prime example of mankind putting short-term greed ahead of the future of our wildlife.”