Ban imports of hunting trophies of endangered animals

The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban imports of hunting trophies from endangered animals but has so far failed to deliver and legislation was not announced in the recent King’s Speech.

The Government must introduce a Government Bill to keep its promise to voters and protect wildlife.

Trophy hunters target animals already under increasing pressure from habitat loss, climate change, poaching and illegal wildlife trade. Trophies from leopards, elephants and even polar bears have been imported to the UK. Some hunting clubs reward the use of weapons that can cause enormous suffering, such as bows and arrows. One poll showed that 80% of the British public support a ban.

A Bill to stop imports of hunting trophies was recently blocked in the House of Lords. The Government must seek to ensure a ban becomes law.

We made a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals.

We recognise that this is an issue that the public feel very strongly about, and over 85% of responses to our consultation supported further action.

In the previous Parliamentary session, the Government fully supported the Hunting Trophies Bill during its passage through Parliament. The Bill passed the House of Commons in March 2023, with strong support from MPs, but did not progress through Committee stage in the House of Lords.

We will continue working to deliver this important manifesto commitment.

The UK is a world leader on animal welfare and we are fully committed to maintaining and enhancing our strong track record through the delivery of our manifesto commitments and other welfare measures.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs