Ivory Act 2018
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to prohibit dealing in ivory, and for connected purposes.
Citationc. 30
Introduced byMichael Gove (Commons)
Baron Gardiner of Kimble (Lords)
Dates
Royal assent20 December 2018
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Ivory Act 2018 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Ivory Act 2018 (c. 30) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced a prohibition on dealing in items containing elephant ivory, with limited exemptions. The Act also established a new compliance regime for exempted items, and introduced civil and criminal penalties for those found guilty of breaching the ban.

The Ivory Bill was introduced to the House of Commons as a Government bill by the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, on 23 May 2018, and to the House of Lords by the Minister for Rural Affairs, Baron Gardiner of Kimble, on 5 July 2018. The Bill was given the Royal Assent on 20 December 2018.

Background

In September 2016, the British Government announced its intention to introduce a ban on the sale of all ‘worked’ ivory produced after 1947. Any works produced before 1947 would be classified as antiques, and trade in these goods would permitted. This was criticised as the Conservative Party manifesto for the 2015 general election pledged to introduce a total ban on the ivory trade. A petition was launched on the Parliament petitions website in response, gathering more than the 100,000 signatures required to force a debate in Parliament.[1]

The Ivory Bill was introduced to the House of Commons as a Government bill by the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, on 23 May 2018, and to the House of Lords by the Minister for Rural Affairs, Baron Gardiner of Kimble, on 5 July 2018. The Bill was given the Royal Assent on 20 December 2018.[2]

Act

Prohibition and exceptions

Section 1 of the Act prohibits dealing in ivory.[3] The Section came into force, thus commencing the ban, on 6 June 2022.[4]

Compliance regime

Penalties

Judicial review

A group of Antique dealers known as Friends of Antique Cultural Treasures (FACT), funded by the British Antique Dealers’ Association, challenged the ban in the High Court.[5] The group were granted leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal.[6]

On 18 May 2020, the Court of Appeal dismissing the appeal.[7] The group were denied leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.[8]

Commentary

National Geographic described the ban as "one of the strictest in the world" and Reuters said that it was the "toughest ban on ivory in Europe".[9][10]

Aftermath

In May 2023 it was announced that new legislation would extend the ban to the ivory of other species, including hippopotamuses, orcas, and walruses.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Pratt, Alison; Ares, Elena (28 June 2018). Research Briefing: The Ivory Bill (Report). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Ivory Act 2018 - Parliamentary Bills". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. ↑ Section 1, Ivory Act 2018. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 20 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Cruel trade in ivory to be illegal from today as world leading ban takes effect". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (5 November 2019). "'Fantastic day for elephants': court rejects ivory ban challenge". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  6. ↑ McElhatton, Noelle (13 November 2019). "Dealers and collectors make their final challenge to Ivory Act". Antiques Trade Gazette. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ban soon to be enforced on ivory trading was lawful". The Times. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ivory Act: no more challenges to new law says Supreme Court". Antiques Trade Gazette. 22 August 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Bale, Rachel (3 April 2018). "UK to Introduce 'Toughest' Ivory Ban in the World". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Sandle, Paul (3 April 2018). Lawson, Hugh (ed.). "Britain to ban ivory items regardless of their age". Reuters. London, England. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  11. ↑ Horton, Helena (23 May 2023). "Imports of ivory from hippos, orcas and walruses to be banned in UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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