This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading of the Ivory Bill in the House of Lords on 17 July 2018.
Ivory Bill (365 KB , PDF)
The Ivory Bill is a government bill that proposes to prohibit trading in elephant ivory, with limited exceptions. The Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 5 July 2018 by Lord Gardiner of Kimble, the Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, and is scheduled to receive its second reading on 17 July 2018.
The law currently requires an individual to obtain a permit in order to trade worked ivory items made after 1947, while items made before 1947 can be traded within the EU without a permit. It is the UK’s current policy not to issue permits for the trading of raw African ivory of any age.
Both the African Elephant and the Asian Elephant have been identified as threatened with extinction. A recent large study of trends in African elephant populations found that the number of elephants decreased by approximately 27,000 per year between 2010 and 2014, a rate of 8 percent per year. The authors of this study concluded that “these dramatic declines in elephant populations are almost certainly due to poaching for ivory”.
Clause 1 of the Bill would establish a general prohibition on trading in ivory, which is defined in clause 35 as being from the tooth or tusk of a living species of elephant. Clause 12 of the Bill would make it an offence to breach the prohibition on the trading of ivory, punishable either by criminal or civil sanctions. Exemptions to the ban, and the process of applying for these, are set out in clauses 2 to 11. This includes an exemption for items made before 1918 which are “of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value”.
The Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 23 May 2018 and had its second reading on 4 June 2018. A public bill committee took evidence from witnesses and examined the Bill over six sittings, before the Bill completed its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons on 4 July 2018. The Bill received cross-party support, though the Opposition advocated for the definition of ivory to be extended to include all threatened ivory-bearing species. The Government said it would undertake a consultation on expanding the definition to include all ivory-bearing species, whether threatened or not, after the legislation was passed. Government amendments removing the restrictions on which species can later be added to the definition by statutory instrument were passed at report stage.
Ivory Bill (365 KB , PDF)
The Hares (Closed Season) Bill [HL] would create a closed season during which it would be an offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or take any hare between 1 February to 30 September each year. It would also repeal the Hares Preservation Act 1892.
![Hares (Close Season) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 52 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Agriculture-and-farming-568x426.png)
The US has announced significant increases in tariffs on imports, although has delayed full implementation. Many economists view tariffs unfavourably, arguing that they raise prices, reduce competition and risk retaliation. But others suggest that tariffs may benefit the country that applies them. UK exports to the US face an additional 10% tariff. This could be negative for UK exports and the economy. But there could be some upsides for the UK if the US goes ahead with higher “reciprocal” tariffs on many of the UK’s competitors.
The government has announced various policies affecting farming and rural communities. Examples include the closure of the sustainable farming incentive, changes to inheritance tax relief and planning reforms set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Whilst some stakeholders have welcomed the plans, the government has faced strong opposition from the farming industry about the impact these policies could have on farm businesses and rural communities.
