Thank you for contacting me about ivory sales. Ivory is one of the world’s most iconic and treasured species and it should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol.
I am therefore glad that the Ivory Act 2018 will introduce one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales. This includes a ban on the purchase or hire of items containing elephant ivory and applies to UK exports and imports. The ban will cover items of all ages and the maximum available penalty for contravention will be an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison. The ban will also include certain narrowly defined exemptions for items that do not contribute to poaching, where a ban would be unwarranted. The recently launched digital ivory service will allow anyone wishing to deal in exempted ivory items to register and certify them. It will provide a register of items and the evidence to demonstrate compliance with the Ivory Act 2018. This legislation will be enforced by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
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