Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition Bill) completes 2nd reading in Parliament
25 November 2022
HUNTING TROPHIES (IMPORT PROHIBITION BILL) COMPLETES 2ND READING IN PARLIAMENT
Henry Smith MP’s Private Members Bill calling for a ban on the import of wild animal trophies completed its 2nd reading in the House of Commons today.
In recent years, thousands of trophy body parts from protected species have been imported to Britain from some of the most endangered species in Africa including lions, elephants and rhinos. The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill has Government support and will ban the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern.
The provisions in the Bill will ban the import of hunting trophies into Great Britain from species listed in existing Wildlife Trade Regulations, except if excluded by the Government, and from any other species to be set out in regulations.
This will apply to any animals hunted after the legislation comes into force, which will also be set out in regulations by the Secretary of State.
The Government has previously proposed a ban on the import of wild animal hunting trophies as part of the Animals abroad Bill, which has not yet been presented to Parliament. A Government consultation on this issue in 2021 generated 44,000 responses, 86% of which supported a trophy hunting ban.
MPs from across all political parties gave strong support to the Private Members Bill during its 2nd reading, having been inundated with calls from their constituents opposing trophy hunting.
Responding to the debate in Parliament, Dominic Dyer, Policy Advisor at Born Free, said: “Born Free has a strong ethical objection to the killing of wild animals for pleasure or sport and we strongly dispute the claim that trophy hunting provides net benefits for conservation or rural communities.
“In our view, trophy hunting is a cruel relic of a colonial era that is practised predominantly by a global elite which results in intense animal suffering and disruption of wildlife populations and corruption and greed.
“Born Free welcomes the progression of Henry Smith’s Private Members Bill to the committee stage, it’s an excellent and overdue piece of legislation, that will deliver one of the strongest wild animal trophy bans anywhere in the world”.