Endangered Species

A police ordeal for a Derbyshire antiques dealer following a “draconian” swoop over a Victorian ivory thermometer has finally been resolved.

A group of historians, museums and TV presenters including Alan Titchmarsh and David Starkey have condemned the slaughter of elephants but have argued the case for the defence of the antiques trade.

The debate over the trade in antiques containing ivory reached Radio 4 last week. BBC Radio 4's daily consumer programme 'You & Yours' featured a slot on the topic with both wildlife charities and the antiques trade represented.

The government remains open-minded on proposals to extend its planned ban on trade in post-1947 ivory to antiques with ivory dating before this time, despite pressure from some MPs to do so.

A handful of MPs stood up for the antiques trade in a debate on the UK domestic ivory market in parliament yesterday, calling for antiques to be exempt from any ivory ban.

A parliamentary debate is to be held this afternoon in the House of Commons' Westminster Hall ahead of the launch of a government consultation.

At ATG’s Seminar on CITES, Victoria Borwick MP started the ball rolling on our consultation with the government on ivory in a traditional way – by calling on the trade to write to their local MPs.

Antiques trade leaders are hopeful that China’s newly-announced plan to impose a total ban on the ivory trade in the country will exclude antique ivory.

The Los Angeles Superior Court has upheld California’s uncompromising ban on the sale of most ivory objects.

A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles has heard the legal arguments that challenge California’s uncompromising ban on the sale of practically all ivory objects.

Derbyshire-based Bamfords Auctioneers & Valuers has announced it will no longer sell solid ivory objects.

The British Antiques Dealers’ Association is launching an ivory object certification system for its members, as one response to the government’s push for proof of age whenever pre-1947 worked ivory is sold.

The leader of the police body tackling wildlife crime has agreed to speak at the Antique Trade Gazette’s Seminar on CITES in January 2017, as the UK antiques sector faces the most serious threat ever to the trade of antique ivory.

Kensington MP and BADA president Victoria Borwick has responded to demands for a total ban on the ivory trade. She has called on the UK government to ensure antique ivory is exempt from any crackdown.

Natural history expert Errol Fuller has called for the antiques trade to lobby quickly over any rule changes to the UK trade in ivory.

The possibility of a global ban on ivory that would allow exemptions for antiques was under discussion at last week’s CITES summit in South Africa.

Wildlife campaigners are calling for a crackdown on ivory exports from the UK after a report revealed trade doubled to Hong Kong last year.

Michael Baggott, silver dealer and regular TV antiques pundit, looks to his own specialism for a solution to the antique ivory conundrum – and volunteers to help

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has vowed to consult with the antiques trade over plans to tighten rules surrounding ivory.