Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2015 to Question 8416, which Minister will be chairing the Inter-Ministerial Group on International Animal Welfare.
Answered by George Eustice
The membership of the Inter-Ministerial Group has yet to be finalised.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the current priorities are for the Inter-Ministerial Group on International Animal Welfare; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The Inter-Ministerial Group will meet this winter and is expected to continue its focus, of using UK expertise to improve international animal welfare standards and combatting the illegal wildlife trade.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on a total ban on ivory sales in the UK and internationally.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK has played a leading role in galvanising international action to combat the illegal wildlife trade, and in pressing for a total ban on ivory sales we will work with our international partners and interested parties at home to seek their views about how we best achieve this and over what timeframe.
The Government is committed to maintaining the current global ban on any new international trade in raw ivory. In addition, the UK does not permit trade in raw ivory tusks of any age and we are pressing for this approach to be taken across the whole of the European Union.
We also warmly welcome the recent indications from the Government of China that it intends in due course to close its legal domestic market for ivory. This will remove a key driver of the demand which in turn fuels the continued poaching that is currently resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of elephants every year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to implement a total ban on ivory sales.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK has played a leading role in galvanising international action to combat the illegal wildlife trade, and in pressing for a total ban on ivory sales we will work with our international partners and interested parties at home to seek their views about how we best achieve this and over what timeframe.
The Government is committed to maintaining the current global ban on any new international trade in raw ivory. In addition, the UK does not permit trade in raw ivory tusks of any age and we are pressing for this approach to be taken across the whole of the European Union.
We also warmly welcome the recent indications from the Government of China that it intends in due course to close its legal domestic market for ivory. This will remove a key driver of the demand which in turn fuels the continued poaching that is currently resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of elephants every year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what legislative proposals her Department plans to bring forward to implement a total ban on ivory sales in the UK.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The UK has played a leading role in galvanising international action to combat the illegal wildlife trade, and in pressing for a total ban on ivory sales we will work with our international partners and interested parties at home to seek their views about how we best achieve this and over what timeframe.
The Government is committed to maintaining the current global ban on any new international trade in raw ivory. In addition, the UK does not permit trade in raw ivory tusks of any age and we are pressing for this approach to be taken across the whole of the European Union.
We also warmly welcome the recent indications from the Government of China that it intends in due course to close its legal domestic market for ivory. This will remove a key driver of the demand which in turn fuels the continued poaching that is currently resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of elephants every year.