Ivory: Sales

(asked on 25th October 2016) - View Source

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which authority or authorities are responsible for upholding the ban on the sale of ivory items created or carved after 1947, and what training is provided to enable employees working in those authorities to distinguish items created or carved after 1947 from antique ivory items.


This question was answered on 8th November 2016

The police and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are responsible for enforcing the legislation on the sale of ivory in the UK under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997. Training is provided to police and NCA officers on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). When enforcing these controls, the police look for documentary evidence, including details of origin; that the ivory was legally acquired; and is still legal for commercial use. If further investigation is needed, there is the potential to use carbon dating techniques which are currently the most reliable method used by law enforcement to accurately identify an age for ivory. This expert advice is provided by the National Wildlife Crime Unit or the CITES authority, which are available to officers to assist in these investigations.

Reticulating Splines