Trophy hunting ban back on target
MP’S bill will stop sick trade
A LONG-AWAITED ban on imports of trophy hunting souvenirs has moved closer after ministers backed a new law.
The move marks a victory in the Sunday People’s campaign to outlaw the sick trade in lion and elephant body parts.
The Tories promised to ban it in their 2019 manifesto – but backtracked last month when legislation failed to appear in the Queen’s Speech.
Now, Tory MP Henry Smith has put forward a private member’s bill which has won the support of ministers. The Hunting Trophies (Import
Prohibition) Bill will stop people bringing trophies from endangered and vulnerable animals into the UK.
And he has been told the Government will make sure it gets through the Commons.
Normally, attempts by individual MPS to make law fall by the wayside for lack of Parliamentary time.
But officials at the Department for the Environment have drafted Mr Smith’s bill and MPS will be told to give it support when it comes before them for its Second Reading in November.
It will impose a total ban on the import of body parts from lions, rhinos, cheetahs, reindeer and other threatened species.
Environment Secretary George Eustice and campaigners will mark its introduction with a series of events in the Commons this week to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the notorious killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe by trophy-hunting US dentist Walter Palmer.
Mr Smith, MP for Crawley, said: “Trophy hunting is something the British public rightly finds repugnant. Getting the Environment Secretary’s endorsement, along with other ministers, is fantastic and a real
boost to finally outlawing this appalling practice.”
Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “This legislation has been drafted by the Government and we have been assured it will have its full support. This really is a huge step forward for the campaign.
“We are on the brink of a historic victory for animals.”
Defra said: “The Government is committed to one of the toughest bans in the world on the import of hunting trophies from endangered and threatened species and welcomes the Private Member’s Bill, led by Henry Smith, that will deliver this.”
feedback@people.co.uk Voice of the People: P14
This is a huge step forward for the campaign. We are on the brink of a historic victory for animals