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 16 February 2022 to Question 120825 on Ivory: Imports, what assessment he has made of the impact of ivory entering or leaving the UK on global elephant and rhino populations.

Import or re-export of ivory items into or from the UK is strictly regulated as a result of the UK’s implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). For ivory items imported into or re-exported from the UK they must be accompanied by a UK CITES import or re-export permit.

CITES import or re-export permits will only be issued by the UK CITES Management Authority (APHA) following advice from the UK’s CITES Scientific Advisory for fauna (JNCC) on their assessment that the import or re-export would not have a detrimental impact on elephant populations.

Rhino horns do not contain ivory and so an assessment of the impacts of ivory entering or leaving the UK on global rhino populations has not been made.

The Ivory Act (2018), when commenced will prohibit UK sales of ivory that contribute directly or indirectly to elephant poaching. Establishing one of the toughest ivory bans in the world will send a clear message globally that UK does not consider commercial trade in elephant ivory to be acceptable. When commenced, the Act will ban dealing in items made of or containing elephant ivory, regardless of their age, unless they fall within one of the narrow and carefully defined exemptions. We plan for the ban to come into force in spring 2022.