Consultation on trophy hunting imports and exports to the UK is launched

Consultation on trophy hunting imports and exports to the UK is launched

Written by Defra Press Office

The blackbuck, with its characteristic screw horns, is a species often hunted.


There is positive coverage in the Daily Mirror and Independent on the launch of the government’s consultation and call for evidence on options to restrict the imports and exports of hunting trophies to the UK, including a potential ban. The Mirror also features an op-ed from International Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith.

The consultation, alongside a call for evidence, will allow ministers to understand the views on all sides of the debate and gather expert evidence to inform any next steps.

The 12-week consultation will close on Saturday 25 January 2020.

Launching the consultation, International Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith said:

The UK is a nation of animal lovers, and there is a great strength of feeling around the issue of trophy hunting. I’m pleased we are able to launch this consultation today to address the import and export of hunting trophies.

There are a number of controls already in place on the import and export of hunting trophies. The UK Government will not issue an import permit for a trophy unless the importer can show there has been no detrimental impact on the endangered species and the trophy has been obtained from a sustainable hunting operation.

All applications for import permits for trophies are individually scrutinised by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), as the UK’s CITES Scientific Authority, to determine there has been no detrimental impact on endangered species and the trophy has been obtained from a ‘sustainable’ hunting operation.

Follow Defra on Twitter, and sign up for email alerts here.

Continue reading on Defra Website...