CITES

An action group that campaigns against modern ivory poaching is to stage a protest against the trade in antique ivory at the Art and Antiques Fair, Olympia, on 1 July.

A judge in London has ruled against a London gallery over the seizure of a Chinese silver tea set dating from the Qing dynasty containing a tiny amount of ivory.

A group of historians, museums and TV presenters including Alan Titchmarsh and David Starkey have condemned the slaughter of elephants but have argued the case for the defence of the antiques trade.

The debate over the trade in antiques containing ivory reached Radio 4 last week. BBC Radio 4's daily consumer programme 'You & Yours' featured a slot on the topic with both wildlife charities and the antiques trade represented.

The government remains open-minded on proposals to extend its planned ban on trade in post-1947 ivory to antiques with ivory dating before this time, despite pressure from some MPs to do so.

A handful of MPs stood up for the antiques trade in a debate on the UK domestic ivory market in parliament yesterday, calling for antiques to be exempt from any ivory ban.

Antiques trade leaders are hopeful that China’s newly-announced plan to impose a total ban on the ivory trade in the country will exclude antique ivory.

MP and BADA president Victoria Borwick has given a passionate defence of the antique ivory trade in Parliament, strongly arguing against a total ban.

Protestors organised by wildlife charity Action for Elephants are demonstrating outside of The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in London today to make the case for banning the ivory trade in the UK.

The leader of the police body tackling wildlife crime has agreed to speak at the Antique Trade Gazette’s Seminar on CITES in January 2017, as the UK antiques sector faces the most serious threat ever to the trade of antique ivory.

A BBC documentary investigating the illegal ivory trade, hosted by celebrity chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, has called for a complete ban on the buying and selling of ivory regardless of age.

Kensington MP and BADA president Victoria Borwick has responded to demands for a total ban on the ivory trade. She has called on the UK government to ensure antique ivory is exempt from any crackdown.

A BBC One documentary by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall called 'Saving Africa’s Elephants: Hugh and the Ivory War' will be aired tonight at 9pm.

The possibility of a global ban on ivory that would allow exemptions for antiques was under discussion at last week’s CITES summit in South Africa.

Wildlife campaigners are calling for a crackdown on ivory exports from the UK after a report revealed trade doubled to Hong Kong last year.

Michael Baggott, silver dealer and regular TV antiques pundit, looks to his own specialism for a solution to the antique ivory conundrum – and volunteers to help

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has vowed to consult with the antiques trade over plans to tighten rules surrounding ivory.