Firstly, I appreciate the strength of feeling around this issue. Ministers take the welfare of all animals extremely seriously and are committed to strengthening and supporting long-term conservation of animals both internationally and at home.
In 2019, the Government held a consultation on the scale and impact of the import and export of hunting trophies. Over 44,000 responses to the call for evidence and consultation were received and 85% of responses were in favour of further action. The Government’s response to the consultation set out plans to ban imports of hunting trophies from thousands of endangered and threatened species.
The Government and I fully support this Bill, which will ban the import of hunting trophies for specific species. The Bill includes a power to add or remove species from the scope of the ban which will ensure that the Bill remains comprehensive and can achieve its aims.
I was really glad to speak in support of this Bill during its Second Reading. To read about what I said in the House of Commons, please follow this link: https://www.beneveritt.com/news/ben-everitt-mp-backs-bill-ban-abhorrent…
Finally, I welcome that this Bill has now completed its Remaining Stages in the House of Commons.