Robbie Moore MP has hailed the House of Commons passing the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, introduced by fellow Conservative MP Henry Smith as an "incredibly important" step forward. This Bill legislates for a historic ban on trophy hunting imports into this the Great Britain.
introduced by Crawley MP Henry Smith last year, the passing of the Bill protects animals listed by the internationally agreed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), banning British hunters from bringing ‘trophies’ of endangered and vulnerable animals into Great Britain.
Being approved by MPs at report stage and third reading marks the conclusion of the Bill’s passage through the Commons, ahead of it being scrutinised further in the House of Lords on a date to be confirmed.
Robbie Moore MP said: “I’m delighted that the House of Commons has backed the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill. This important piece of legislation supports conservation and animal welfare and will ban body part ‘trophies’ of endangered and vulnerable animals from being brought into Great Britain. I know many constituents back the Bill which is an incredibly important of legislation that has my full support.”
Henry Smith MP said: “My thanks to Robbie for his support in highlighting the need for a ban on imports of hunting trophies of endangered animals. With the House of Commons passing this legislation it marks an important moment in ensuring our pledge to support conservation and it will ensure it becomes a reality. I’m grateful to the Government for supporting my Bill and I look forward to it now progressing through the House of Lords. My thoughts are very much with the family and friends of our late colleague, Sir David Amess, who was taken from us far too soon. Sir David was a tireless campaigner for the banning of trophy hunting imports. I hope that he would have been proud of this legislation being passed by the Commons.”
The International Biodiversity Minister, Trudy Harrison, said: “This is a pivotal moment in delivering one of our key manifesto commitments on international conservation and animal welfare. Using an internationally agreed list of species, this will play an important part in helping reverse the decline of wildlife across the world. I look forward to it becoming an Act of Parliament.”
