Hunting Trophy Imports

Neil Hudson Excerpts

Wednesday 11th November 2026 Westminster Hall

[Dr Neil Hudson (Epping Forest) (Con)]

It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I congratulate the hon. Member for Eltham and Chislehurst (Clive Efford) on securing this important debate and setting out the importance of the issue.

I declare a strong personal and professional interest as a veterinary surgeon and a fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. I thank the many organisations that have campaigned against trophy hunting for many years, including Four Paws, Humane World for Animals, Born Free, the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation and the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. I am pleased to be here as the shadow DEFRA Minister speaking in strong support of a ban on the importation of hunting trophies.

We have heard many powerful contributions from all parties. The hon. Member for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East (Seamus Logan) introduced us to the story of Cecil, whom I will talk more about. The hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) is a wonderful, proud animal welfare advocate in the House, and I consider her a close colleague and friend. She is a member of the all-party parliamentary group for animal welfare—in fact, three officers of that APPG, which I chair, are present. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) talked about the majesty of the animals that have been hunted, while the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones) talked about the importance of her work when she was in the shadow DEFRA team.

Like my veterinary colleague and friend the hon. Member for Winchester (Dr Chambers), I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Member for Herne Bay and Sandwich (Sir Roger Gale) for his animal welfare advocacy from the Conservative Benches. He worked very closely with our late friend Sir David Amess, and I pay tribute to him. My right hon. Friend talked about his passion for conservation and the importance of photo tourism, which I will touch on soon.

The hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) talked about the splendour of the African mammals that have suffered and mentioned the importance of our UK armed forces working to help conservation efforts. Finally—I do not think I have missed anyone—the hon. Member for Hamilton and Clyde Valley (Imogen Walker) spoke with huge passion about how we are very much a nation of animal lovers. It sounds like a cliché, but it is so true. This is an issue that unites us across the House, so I thank her for saying that.

Last year, we marked 10 years since the tragic killing of Cecil the lion—a horrific event that caught the world’s attention and ignited global outrage and the campaign to ban the import of hunting trophies to the UK. Yet despite the outcry, the global trophy hunting industry has continued unabated. Sadly, Cecil’s story was not unique: every year, trophy hunters kill thousands of these precious and majestic animals around the world. Trophy hunting is a barbaric and outdated practice that should be consigned to the history books. These majestic animals should be shot only with cameras, not with lethal weapons.

Since the 1980s, an estimated 25,000 hunting trophies from slaughtered animals have been imported to the UK. The practice of bringing animal carcases or parts thereof back to Britain is outdated and unnecessary. Ending this trade would send a clear message that the United Kingdom does not support the killing of precious, majestic and often endangered wildlife.

In the UK, we have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and I am proud that our country has shown global leadership in that regard. I am proud of the Conservatives’ work in government to advance animal welfare standards and strengthen protections for animals at home and abroad. This included banning the export of live animals, including cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, for fattening or slaughter in the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024, which I hope will survive next week’s EU reset; banning the keeping of primates as pets; passing the Pet Abduction Act 2024; increasing the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years in the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021; and enshrining animal sentience in UK law through the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, thereby establishing the important Animal Sentience Committee so that any new legislation must pay due regard to animal welfare. We must remember that Cecil the lion was a large, majestic, magnificent, sentient animal that was hunted and senselessly and horrifically struck down.

I was extremely proud to co-sponsor the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 with my veterinary colleague and friend, the hon. Member for Winchester. It was a landmark piece of legislation designed to tackle illegal, disturbing and unethical pet importation practices such as the importation of under-age puppies, heavily pregnant dogs or cats, dogs that have been horrifically ear-cropped and cats that have been barbarically declawed—senseless procedures that have no clinical indication whatsoever. The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025, introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Chester South and Eddisbury (Aphra Brandreth), the shadow Nature Minister, strengthened penalties and expanded police powers to tackle livestock worrying.

Back in 2018, the Conservative Government passed the Ivory Act 2018, one of the world’s strongest ivory bans, providing vital protection to elephants at risk. Later, as a shadow Minister, I was proud to speak on behalf of His Majesty’s most loyal Opposition in support of the expansion of that Act to provide protection to narwhals, orcas, sperm whales and hippopotamuses. As I said at the time:

“Animal welfare and protecting and conserving precious animals and wildlife across our planet is something that unites us in humanity”—[Official Report, Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee, 11 December 2024; c. 4.]

across the House.

The United Kingdom can again use its global soft power and put pressure on countries that, horrifically, continue to kill animals such as whales and dolphins. We must tell those countries to stop these barbaric practices once and for all. Now is the time to get serious about protecting the world’s wildlife and habitats, protecting animals, halting further damage and restoring what has been lost. The UK has a significant part to play in that work.

In 2019, the Conservative Government held a consultation on the scale and impact of the import and export of hunting trophies. It received more than 44,000 responses, 84% of which were in favour of a ban on all hunting trophies entering or leaving the UK. In response, the Conservative Government rightly set out plans to ban imports of hunting trophies from endangered and threatened species.

Sadly, it is now more than six years since a UK Government first committed to a ban on the import of hunting trophies. It is also six years since the IPBES—the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services—global assessment reported that around 1 million plant and animal species are believed to be at risk of extinction. Yet to this day, trophy hunting continues, with the most recent available statistics showing a huge increase in the numbers of trophies imported.

I was very disappointed when, in the previous Parliament, the Conservative-led Bill to ban hunting trophy imports failed to proceed after receiving unanimous support and passing through the House of Commons. So much work had been done to get to that position—consultations carried out, the Bill drafted and parliamentarians across the House briefed—but we now find ourselves, five years on, having to think about reintroducing legislation. I am sure we all feel this is deeply upsetting and frustrating.

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Exmouth and Exeter East (David Reed), who brought the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill back to the House in the 2024-26 parliamentary Session, where it again received cross-party support. But it now feels like groundhog day, because once again we are waiting for legislation to come forward. The previous Conservative Government started the process; the baton has now passed to the current Government, who also had a ban in their manifesto.

There is a saying: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now.” The same is true here. We should have taken action sooner after Cecil the majestic lion was killed, but we can and must take action now. I urge the Government to act; will the Minister say how and when they will do so? Together, parliamentarians and animal welfare organisations—all of us as a human race—must do something powerful and great for animals. Let us get a ban over the line and consign this practice to the history books.