Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to monitor the use of the internet for wildlife-related criminal activity.

We recognise that the internet can be used as a route for wildlife-related criminal activity, including illegal trade in species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The illegal trade in CITES species is one of the six UK wildlife crime priorities and action to tackle such trade is spearheaded by the UK CITES Priority Delivery Group (CPDG) comprising Border Force, the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Defra has provided additional funding to the NWCU this year to conduct research into wildlife crime on the internet and we will be considering the findings of their report.

Powers are available in the UK to tackle illegal internet trade in wildlife products under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (COTES) legislation. This legislation is currently under review. The review will consider trends in illegal trade and the enforcement practices needed to combat this, including the increasing use of the internet to conduct trade in wildlife products.

More broadly the National Crime Agency (NCA) focuses on the relentless disruption of serious and organised criminals and those that present the highest risk to the UK and its communities. Where high risk organised criminals are engaged in illegal wildlife trade the NCA will lead, support or coordinate an appropriate level of response. That response could include the NCA’s niche capabilities such as the National Cyber Crime Unit or its global network of liaison officers.