Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK’s ban on importing ivory on (a) historically and (b) artistically significant ivory.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Ivory Act 2018 bans dealing in ivory, including imports to and exports from the UK for the purposes of dealing.

The Act includes an exemption to the ban for pre-1918 items of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value. An exemption certificate must be issued before an item can be legally dealt under this exemption.

Since the Act came into force in 2022, 346 applications for exemption certificates have been submitted and 284 exemption certificates have been issued.

Animal Welfare APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Government’s commitment to animal welfare has been demonstrated with positive measures like the Ivory Act

Found: applications for export, 22 Government Indemnity Valuations and 24 ivory exemption certificates under the Ivory Act

Found: Ivory Act 2018 enforcement and civil sanctions