Endangered species: ivory

A new report into the sale of ivory at UK auctions claims to have found “widespread flouting of the law by many auction houses”.

The art market’s trade bodies have issued guidance to their members on how to respond to the government’s consultation on ivory, launched on October 6.

Auctioneer association NAVA Propertymark is partnering with Border Force on a so-called amnesty scheme for items made from endangered species.

MADAM – Regarding the ivory consultation (ATG No 2312), I despair that sound pragmatic arguments have been overwhelmed by unproven and exaggerated links to the poaching problem.

Anthony Browne, chairman of The British Art Market Federation (BAMF), was due to meet with environment secretary Michael Gove this week (October 10) to discuss the proposed ban on sales of ivory in the UK.

It’s taken more than a year to materialise but at last, the long-awaited consultation on ivory has arrived.

The art and antiques trade has criticised a report on the ivory market, arguing it “fails to distinguish between genuine works of art and the trade in modern carvings made from tusks”.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is to push ahead with a consultation on the trade in ivory before making any changes to legislation.

BADA president and former MP for Kensington, Victoria Borwick, addressed SOFAA's biannual gathering of auctioneers on June 30. She tackled auctioneer-dealer relations, the ivory question, parliament's understanding of the antiques trade and the cultural property bill.

The Conservative Party has omitted any mention of ivory in its 2017 manifesto published last week, giving hope an uncompromising ban on the trade will not be introduced.

The Conservative Party is expected to rethink its previous pledge for a ‘total ban’ on ivory sales in its election manifesto, due for publication this week.