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 prevent endangered plant and animal species coming into the UK.

The Government is committed to the conservation and protection of wildlife and we play a leading role internationally in addressing threats to endangered species; for instance through our membership of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Under our obligations as a party to CITES, the Government regulates trade in listed endangered species into the UK under a permitting regime; safeguarding such species from over-exploitation and with the aim of ensuring that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Defra coordinates across policy, scientific authorities and enforcement authorities, and engages closely with stakeholders in the UK, to ensure we continue to deliver on our international commitments to protect endangered species under CITES.