Written Question·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·UIN 66100
Ivory: Imports
Tabled: 8 July 2025
Answered: 15 July 2025
Question
Mr Angus MacDonald
Liberal Democrat — Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK’s ban on importing ivory on (a) historically and (b) artistically significant ivory.
Answer
Mary CreaghThe Ivory Act 2018 bans dealing in ivory, including imports to and exports from the UK for the purposes of dealing.
The Act includes an exemption to the ban for pre-1918 items of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value. An exemption certificate must be issued before an item can be legally dealt under this exemption.
Since the Act came into force in 2022, 346 applications for exemption certificates have been submitted and 284 exemption certificates have been issued.