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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the issuing of licenses to export endangered European eels.

The international trade in eels is regulated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Because the European eel is critically endangered, any international movements are subject to rigorous scrutiny, including through assessments of legal acquisition and non-detriment. The UK’s approach to international trade of any endangered species is kept under constant review to ensure legality, sustainability, and alignment with global conservation efforts.