Present were Patricia Forkan, the Executive Vice President of the Humane Society United States, Audrey Cardwell, Greenpeace’s oceans campaigner, Clare Perry, a senior campaigner for the EIA and Allan Thornton, the President of the EIA.

Ten other people turned up – half supporters of the organisations present.

The objective of the press conference was to get as many media as possible convinced their particular news agency should run a story linking Talbots to the harvest of small cetaceans. As it happens, the majority shareholder in Talbots is JUSCO, which runs supermarkets throughout Japan. They stated that their overall goal was to stop all commercial whaling.

Unfortunately, that was about all the evidence they found to prove the link between Talbots and the kill. So it was lucky for those organisations that the only media that turned up, even if it was 15 minutes into the presentation, was a local television station.

The organisations believe that since JUSCO acquired majority ownership of the Talbot’s clothing chain in 1988, more than a quarter of a million whales, dolphins and porpoises have been killed by Japanese hunters, and that this proved beyond doubt that Talbot’s supported the hunt.

Thankfully, only one news organisation – the local Fox News – even bothered to report the conference. It would have been absolutely unjustified for any news organisation to run articles based on the press conference.

What is disturbing is that this is normal practice for most of these so-called environmental organisations that trade on the belief that once their information is printed in the newspapers, or on the radio or television, it takes on a life of its own and is regurgitated for months on end.

That these groups can attempt to damage businesses like this with confused and unproven allegations should be illegal. And proof of such a crime should come with a hefty penalty. These organisations are not above the law, yet are able to damage the reputation of various businesses on a whim, and an unsubstantiated whim at that.

Talbots issued a statement saying they were mystified by the allegation.

It is truly frightening for free speech and honest information that the EIA was to take this issue around Canada, the UK and the US. This is wrong. These organisations have no proof and are out to destroy the reputation of one of the US’s most successful clothing outlets. That such press conferences and distribution are allowed to occur, it is a complete and utter rejection of the principles of fair play and good practice.