The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) has today welcomed Patron Henry Smith MP’s Private Members Bill, the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, which would ban trophy hunting imports to the UK.
The commitment to ban trophy hunting imports was included in both the Conservative Manifesto 2019 and also Defra’s world-leading Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
In March this year polling showed overwhelming support for the policy of banning trophy hunting imports. Amongst voters polled, 86% agreed that the UK Government should ban trophy hunters from bringing back trophies of hunted animals as soon as possible, and amongst Conservative voters, this was 92%. You can read the full briefing here. poll_briefing_amended_1_.pdf (mcusercontent.com)
Last year Conservative Animal Welfare Patron Stanley Johnson spoke out on trophy hunting imports at the World Animal Day reception hosted by CAWF at Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. During his speech, he urged the Government to implement a ban encompassing a wide range of species, particularly those which are endangered.
The Second Reading of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill will be on Friday 25th November 2022.
Lorraine Platt, Co-Founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “We are delighted to welcome our Patron Henry Smith MP’s Bill to ban trophy hunting imports – a horrific practice which future generations will look back on in disbelief. By banning hunting trophies, we can send a strong message to the rest of the world that the UK does not tolerate the killing of iconic species such as rhinos, lions, and elephants by a minority of individuals for recreation.
“Polling this year demonstrates that the public cares deeply about banning trophy hunting imports, with 92% of Conservative voters supporting the policy. We look forward to supporting this Bill as it returns to the House of Commons.
“We would like to thank Henry Smith for choosing this important subject for his Private Members Bill, and also our other Patrons for their tireless work to secure a ban. This includes Sir Roger Gale MP, who chairs the APPG on Banning Trophy Hunting and has organised a number of rallies for this cause.”
