A senior Highland councillor has insisted that terminating a town twinning arrangement with the Faroes because of its whaling activity will not jeopardise vital business at Scrabster Harbour.
Councillors at Wick, which is twinned with Klaksvik in the Faroes, want to end the agreement because of the yearly Faroese culling of hundreds of whales and dolphins.
But Thurso councillors whose ward includes Scrabster which is regularly used by Faroese trawlers want to retain the link.
Caithness civic leader SNP councillor Gail Ross, who strongly opposes the 20-year arrangement with Klaksvik, yesterday suggested that Thurso councillors go it alone and establish their own twinning arrangement with the town.
The row has divided Caithness councillors and relations between Caithness and Klaksvik are on a knife edge because of the threat to sever links over the annual “slaughter,” as opponents regard it.
Mrs Ross said: “There is nothing stopping Thurso members contacting Klaksvik or anyone else in the Faroes and setting up a twinning with Scrabster.”
Wick independent councillor and Highland resources chairman Bill Fernie, doubts there would be an economic risk.
“I can’t see fishermen paying any attention to politicians from whatever country, if it’s to their economic disadvantage,” he said.
Thurso independent councillor Donnie Mackay was angry that the issue was not debated at last week’s final gathering of the Caithness and Sutherland area committee, which is being replaced with separate forums in the near future as a degree of decision making is devolved.
It was dropped from the agenda as it was felt “more appropriate” for the new forum.
Caithness and Sutherland area leader Deirdre Mackay said: “With a report on this prepared for the new Caithness committee, I don’t doubt that members will welcome a period for reflection.”
A spokeswoman for the council said twinning agreements were a matter for area committees, with a vote if necessary.
Klaksvik’s mayor Jogvan Skorheim said last month that Wick’s leaders had no right to “dictate” what traditions his country chose to celebrate. The Faroes have hunted the mammals for centuries to provide a source of “sustainable and regulated, communal and natural” food.