Irene Campbell

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham and Chislehurst (Clive Efford) for introducing the debate and setting out the arguments for change so well. Banning trophy imports was in Labour’s 2024 manifesto and is an incredibly popular topic with the public, as we have heard. In common with other hon. Members, my office receives many emails about the issue. Over 80% of people in the UK are very much in favour of a ban, although I think the number may actually be higher. We know how cruel trophy hunting is: animals are chased for long distances, with many wounded from failed shots, all for the enjoyment of people. Around 400 trophy items have been imported into the UK over the last decade, including from giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, cheetahs and more, which is very distressing. Trophy hunting is also harmful for conservation. The conservation argument for the continuation of trophy hunting is very weak. It is shocking that trophy hunters can still shoot endangered animals, such as many giraffe subspecies that have been declared endangered. Current leopard population sizes are unknown, yet about 10,000 were killed by trophy hunters between 2004 and 2014. Hunters target older males, which are needed for social stability and population health in many animal populations. Moving away from the topic slightly, it is important to note that Scotland still exports trophy items, which I find upsetting. In 2024, a rural community in Zimbabwe imported a Scottish stag’s head. In Scotland, a red stag can be shot and exported for £500 to £1,250. I know that is not what today’s debate is about, but we should consider discussing it in the future. As well as banning imports, we need to look at banning exports from the UK. We may not have lions and elephants, but we have other beautiful animals, such as many different species of deer. We need to protect wildlife not only abroad but here.