Therese Coffey: We are going to do all we will to assist trophy-hunting ban turn out to be legislation
T
he Government has pledged to do “all we can” to make sure a ban on trophy looking imports turns into legislation amid fears pro-hunting friends may “wreck” the reforms.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey mentioned the Government is not going to assist any additional amendments to the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.
The proposed laws would prohibit bringing into the nation physique components from species deemed of conservation concern.
There is a small and vocal group of pro-hunting friends doing their greatest to wreck this Bill
The Bill, launched by Conservative MP Henry Smith, has already cleared the House of Commons.
But a gaggle of friends have raised considerations and tabled amendments that threaten to derail the proposals.
Time is operating out to think about the Bill and it’ll fall if it doesn’t obtain royal assent earlier than the present parliamentary session stops forward of the King’s Speech on November 7.
Ms Coffey, in a letter to the Humane Society International/UK dated August 17, wrote: “It is a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals and we are working hard to deliver.
“The Bill passed the Commons in March, with the Government’s support, and we will do all we can to support its progress through the House of Lords working with Baroness Fookes.
“I can confirm that we will not be supporting any further amendments to the Bill. I expect committee stage to progress next month.”
Conservative peer Lady Fookes is the Bill’s sponsor within the House of Lords.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, mentioned: “There is a small and vocal group of pro-hunting peers doing their best to wreck this Bill, but we need the Government to remain focused on the almost 90% of the public who want this ban on the import of hunting trophies.
“The timing for this Bill is indeed extremely tight but we were encouraged to receive a letter from Environment Secretary Therese Coffey yesterday.”
No Friday sittings to think about personal members’ payments are anticipated within the House of Lords in September, in line with the Government whips’ workplace within the Lords.
With the occasion convention recess operating till October 16, there are anticipated to be simply two attainable Friday sittings earlier than the parliamentary session ends.
Mr Smith, MP for Crawley, mentioned he’s talking with the Government in a bid to safe extra parliamentary time for his Bill.
Conservative peer Lord Mancroft, who opposes the proposals, mentioned amendments have been tabled in a bid to “clean up” or make clear components of the “badly drafted” Bill.
He acknowledged it’s “very possible” the amendments may halt the Bill’s progress and rated its possibilities as “less than 10%”.
Mr Smith mentioned the deliberate laws is about UK import coverage, including opponents have pressed “spurious arguments” about how trophy looking helps conservation.
A House of Lords briefing paper on the Bill said: “According to figures from the Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) trade database, 190 hunting trophies from Cites-listed species were imported into the UK in 2020 (the most recent complete year for which figures are available).”