Ivory regulation

The long-awaited government consultation on the trade in ivory in the UK is to be launched.

Michael Gove MP gave his first speech as environment minister today and has vowed to tackle the illegal ivory trade. However, he made no reference to a total ban on ivory.

The prospect of a total ban on the trade in ivory re-emerged this week after foreign secretary Boris Johnson said the government has “a commitment to an all-out ban on the sale of ivory in this country, and that is what we intend to pursue”.

An action group that campaigns against modern ivory poaching is to stage a protest against the trade in antique ivory at the Art and Antiques Fair, Olympia, on 1 July.

Michael Gove MP has said he would reconsider introducing a pledge for a total ivory ban.

The Labour Party Manifesto 2017 has called for a total ban on the trade of ivory.

A judge in London has ruled against a London gallery over the seizure of a Chinese silver tea set dating from the Qing dynasty containing a tiny amount of ivory.

China is shutting a third of its ivory factories and shops, as it begins to meet the requirements of a formal ban by the end of the year.

A report out today (March 14) calls for "significant structural changes" to the laws governing the sale of ivory in the UK but trade bodies have queried its methodology, citing low response rates.

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.