Ivory Trade

EDM number 1401 in 2007-08, proposed by Ian Cawsey on 23/04/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Animal welfare, Animals, Asia, International trade, Nature conservation and Wildlife.

That this House is dismayed that 20,000 elephants a year are still being slaughtered to supply the illegal ivory trade; notes with concern that China remains the major destination for illicit ivory; further notes that Chinese citizens have been convicted of illegally trading ivory in 22 of the 37 African elephant range states; is aware that China may request to buy ivory stockpiles at the forthcoming Standing Committee meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in July; recognises the commendable progress China has made in recent years to improve illegal wildlife trade enforcement; is concerned, however, that ivory market controls in China remain insufficient to prevent continued illegal trade in ivory; is further concerned that any sale of stockpiled ivory to China may provide a smokescreen for further illegal ivory to be laundered into the system creating an incentive for more elephant poaching; welcomes the Government's role as a European Union representative on the CITES Standing Committee; and calls upon the Government to use that position to bring together EU partners in opposition to any attempt by China to buy ivory stockpiles.

This motion has been signed by a total of 168 MPs, 4 of these signatures have been withdrawn.