Campaign and petition email responses

Ban Trophy Hunting

Updated 11/03/24

In previous parliaments, SNP MPs supported the passage of the historic Ivory Bill in the Commons which introduced a near blanket ban on ivory imports to the UK. 

At the time, the SNP welcomed the Ivory Bill and the Tory UK Government’s previous manifesto commitments of “a total ban on ivory sales” in the UK.

Unfortunately, the Bill has not been implemented yet, rather the UK Government has delayed this legislation due to unsuccessful legal challenges and recent UK-wide consultation between devolved governments and DEFRA.

While the UK Government continues to dither, thousands of elephants are killed every year with one killed on average every 15-25 minutes – leaving the mammal at risk of extinction, and the UK is the world’s largest exporter of illegal ivory according to the Environmental Investigation Agency.

Initially, the SNP welcomed the UK Government intentions to bring in an Animals Abroad Bill that would seek to tackle illegal trophy hunting, control the import and export of hunting trophies of endangered animals like ivory tusks and crackdown on international animal abuse trade within the UK and abroad. However, as the Bill was dropped to appease Boris Johnson’s backbenchers and the latest Prime Ministers have sought not to put this bill forward, it is shameful that the UK Government is failing to protect the lives of endangered animals who are at perilous risk.

A Private Members Bill by a Tory Member has sought to legislate where his party has categorically failed to do so, with his PMB on the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill to be allocated time a report stage reading in March.

I have also signed EDM 558 supporting the Bill.

The SNP will work constructively - pending the UK Government allowing parliamentary time for a third stage reading of the PMB as opposed to the dropped Animals Abroad Bill - to ensure legislation to protect endangered animals is strong and trophies cannot be imported into the UK