Mims Davies, MP for Eastleigh and Assistant Government Whip in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has today supported the introduction of the Ivory Bill in Parliament which will ban ivory sales in the UK.
Mims said,
‘Over 50 Eastleigh constituents have written to me specifically on this matter, with a further 462 expressing a more general concern for animals and for respecting the international environment since the 2017 election – so I’m delighted that progress is being made, and that their campaigning has been successful. I was also particularly pleased to be the Whip on the bench as this key Bill was introduced yesterday (23rd May 2018).
‘The speed at which the Government has introduced the Bill after publishing the consultation response – less than six weeks – is demonstrative of the strength of feeling all-round on this matter.
‘The number of elephants has declined by almost a third in the last decade and around 20,000 a year are still being slaughtered due to the global demand for ivory. So it is absolutely crucial that the UK takes global leadership on this critical issue.
‘These robust measures will be some of the toughest laws in the world, and the maximum penalty for breaching the ban will be an unlimited fine or up to five years in jail.’
‘The Government has also been making progress in increasing the maximum sentence for animal cruelty offenses, developing a pollinator strategy to better protect our bees, and assessing how the illegal wildlife trade can be better tackled at UK airports. As a member of the Department, I have been working in the committee tackling the new laws regarding CCTV in slaughterhouses to best protect live animals from undue suffering.’