You might be shocked by some of the things that countries sell. With thriving trades in everything from the meat of endangered animals to arms that are used in violent conflicts, these countries are making big bucks from some controversial items. Crossing dubious moral lines, can governments justify their involvement with these industries for the sake of profit?

Following a 33-year hiatus, Japan’s commercial whaling industry came back into action in July 2019, after it withdrew from the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The decision was met with a mixed reaction. On the one hand, whaling is a traditional activity in Japan and proponents argue it’s no different from slaughtering other animals for meat. On the other hand, anti-whaling campaigners argue that it’s cruel and unsustainable, and has led to species depletion.

Since whaling was banned in 1986 – so that dwindling numbers could recover – Japan has still killed between 200 and 1,200 whales each year in the name of science, to monitor stocks and establish sustainable quotas. Now that it’s a fully-fledged and legal industry, there is still uncertainty about whether Japanese people have an appetite for whale meat: the average Japanese person only eats around 40g each per year, which is equivalent to a slice of ham. 

It might not sound like the most desirable substance in the world, but bovine semen is known as “white gold” in farming circles. That’s because it plays a vital role in the artificial insemination of female cows, which is necessary to the dairy industry. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian companies exported CA$11 million (US $8.4m/£6.8m) worth of dairy semen in 2015.

So why is it controversial? In order for cows to produce milk, they must have recently given birth – which means most dairy cows spend the majority of their lives pregnant. The most common way of doing this is to artificially inseminate them with bull semen. While those in the industry say it’s the most efficient way to maximise dairy production, activists argue the process is cruel as it results in conditions such as mastitis, lameness and infertility. 

South Africa is home to 70% of the world’s white rhino population. Its Constitutional Court legalised the domestic rhino horn trade in April 2017. The decision came following a ban which had been in place since 2009, which had been strongly opposed by two private rhino owners, John Hume and Johan Kruger. However, there is still a ban on international trade under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which was established in 1977.

Despite this, National Geographic reported in 2017 that rhino horn is often smuggled from South Africa into China and Vietnam. It’s then turned into tchotchkes (small ornaments) and art or sold on for use in folk medicine. Activists argue that law enforcement agencies can struggle to differentiate between illegal and legal rhino horn, meaning it can often make its way into other countries despite only being legal to trade domestically. 

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of live animals for slaughter. Yet the industry has come under fire in recent years, with activists criticising the immensely hot, cramped conditions on board ships, as well as the long durations of voyages. In April 2018, there was outrage when a video showing 2,400 distressed sheep on board a vessel travelling from Australia to the Qatar was released. All sheep died on board after being made to stand next to oil fuel heaters and being smothered by air vents.

Yet it’s a lucrative industry. In 2017, Australia’s export of live sheep alone was valued at AU$249 million (US $171m/£1.4m), according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. However, bad press and political pressure may be about to change that. In June 2018, after the video of 2,400 sheep dying on a ship emerged, the Australian federal government temporarily suspended the licence of the nation’s largest operator, Emanuel Exports. Following that, last year the government put a ban on exporting live animals between June and September, during the hottest months of the year. 

Global waste recycling was a $265 billion (£214bn) industry in 2017, according to Zion Market Research. Turning trash into cash, ‘recyclers’ in low-income countries make their living by sorting and processing imported waste. In theory, it’s a good system: ideal for exporting countries, which often don’t have the facilities to recycle everything at home, it allows importing countries to turn recycling into new products. Yet in practice, the industry is rife with controversy.

For starters, many importing countries – which include the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Vietnam – have lax regulations. This means that waste meant for recycling can end up being burned in the open, or thrown into landfill or waterways, worsening pollution. Making matters worse, many importers such as Australia, the UK and US have come under fire lately for importing contaminated, non-recyclable waste.

Now read where the world's garbage goes now China doesn't want it

At the mercy of a Saudi Arabian air campaign, Yemen is experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Yet many of the bombs killing civilians have been supplied by the UK. The UK’s export of arms to Saudi Arabia has currently been suspended, thanks to a group of activists called Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which won a legal case ruling the sales as unlawful. Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen in March 2015, and from 2016 the UK has supplied it with more than £4.75 billion (£5.9bn) of arms.

The sales were made by ministers including now-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Liam Fox, in a decision made in secret in 2016. Included in the exports were Typhoon and Tornado fighter jets and precision-guided bombs. With more than 7,000 civilian deaths recorded – 65% of which are attributed to the air strikes – the UK’s involvement in the conflict has sparked anger from protesters, while the opposition Labour Party has demanded a full public inquiry into the arms sales. 

 

The only country that has topped Britain in Saudi arms exports is the US. Over the past five years, the US has accounted for around 70% of arms sales to the Saudis between 2014 and 2018. And it doesn’t seem likely to stop anytime soon: in July 2019, the Senate failed to block over $8 billion (£6.5bn) of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after President Trump vetoed resolutions made in Congress.

Defending the recent arms deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited threats from Iran as a reason to support the two US allies in the Gulf. Yet many members of Congress have spoken out against the president’s ongoing support of the Saudis in wake of the Yemen crisis, arguing that President Trump is ignoring Congress to push through sales. On the streets, grassroots organisations such as CODEPINK have led protests throughout the nation.

An unlikely-sounding commodity, shark fins have surged in popularity due to a global demand for shark fin soup (pictured). An investigation by Greenpeace UK’s journalism unit, Unearthed, revealed that more than $371,000 (£300k) worth of shark fins were sent from the UK to Spain between January 2017 and July 2019. With the global trade of so-called ‘finning’ killing 73 million sharks each year, the UK’s involvement has sparked anger. 

The sharks are landed on British shores, then the fins are sent to Spain before being sold on to other countries, largely in Asia where shark fin soup is considered a delicacy. With sharks considered a vital predator in oceans, activists argue the government should protect the species. In recent years, celebrities including David Beckham, Lupita Nyong’o and Jackie Chan have led high-profile campaigns against shark finning, in attempt to curb consumer demand for shark fin soup.

Surprising things countries make money from

No passport, no problem – or at least if you’re wealthy. According to the Economist, some 100 countries across the world offer residence in return for investment in local business and property. In Caribbean islands St Kitts and Nevis (pictured), Citizenship by Investment (CIP) schemes make up an estimated 14% of GDP according to the International Monetary Fund. Yet when many of the same countries that hand out luxury citizenship routinely turn away refugees and asylum seekers, critics say that such schemes commodify national identity.

In the UK, wealthy non-Europeans can get citizenship in return for £2 million ($2.5m) in investment in British companies. Australia requires $AU 1.5 million (US$1m/£834k) investment plus a net worth of AU $2.5 million (US$1.7M/£1.4m) to get residency, which can lead to citizenship. In Europe, Spain requires you to spend €500,000 ($552k/£446k) on property while Cyprus requires you to invest €2 million ($2.2m/£1.8m) in real estate or Cypriot businesses.

At the last official count (2019) there were around 76,000 active fires in the Amazon rainforest, according to Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research (INPE). Amid recent global uproar, an insidious truth has emerged: many of these fires were started on purpose, in order to clear land for agriculture and other activities. Current president Jair Bolsonaro – who has insisted the fires are caused by “dry weather, wind and heat” – has repeatedly encouraged industrial activity in the rainforest.

The non-profit group Amazon Watch recently reported that Bolsonaro’s government had “slashed socio-environmental standards that are fundamental to preserving the Amazon’s ecological integrity”, giving industries more access to areas of the rainforest that had previously been safeguarded. According to the WWF, clearing land for cattle ranching is one of the main reasons for fires, followed by logging and mining.

With ongoing global concern about climate change, the fires in the Amazon could be devastating. Not only do fires release pollutants including carbon monoxide and other toxic gases into the atmosphere, adding to global warming, but they get rid of trees that would have absorbed carbon dioxide. This double effect emphasises the need to curb industrial activity in the rainforest and put resources into reforestation.

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