Asked by: Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the illegal wildlife trade on UK national security.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
Wildlife crime, including the illegal wildlife trade, is included in the National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime (NSA). The NSA is produced by the National Crime Agency on behalf of UK law enforcement and
states that the two main current threats relate to illegal import, export and internal trade in certain species and the persecution of wild birds of prey across the UK. Wildlife is sought globally for illegal trade because of the
high demand for products, and those most valued are covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The NSA provides the single, comprehensive picture of serious and organised crime
affecting the UK.