Fylde MP hails new UK ban on ivory sales
The proposed ban, announced by environment secretary Michael Gove, will be the toughest in Europe and among the toughest in the world – helping to protect elephants for future generations.
The move follows a consultation which had more than 70,000 responses – with more than 88 percent in favour of the ban.
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Hide AdMr Menzies said: “This is a no-brainer. The sooner we see a stop in ivory trade, the sooner the poachers will stop targeting elephants.
“We have long been a world-leader in the fight against this awful trade; this new legislation reaffirms our commitment to stamping it out altogether.
No longer should we see a decline in Africa’s elephant population. I hope other countries follow our example.”
Over the last decade, the number of elephants has declined by almost a third and around 20,000 a year are still being slaughtered due to the global demand for ivory – showing there is more to do.
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Hide AdAs part of the Government’s action to tackle the Ivory trade, at a recent European Environment Council, the UK called for EU member states to ban commercial trade in raw ivory – which is already banned in the UK – within the European Union.