EU forces Britain to back sick ivory trade

BRITAIN was yesterday condemned for "signing the death warrant" of thousands of elephants by backing a deal to let China trade in ivory.

African Elephants are at risk African Elephants are at risk

The UK voted in favour of letting China buy ivory stocks from four African countries including Robert Mugabe’s corrupt and strife-torn Zimbabwe.

The UK delegation voted despite having grave reservations about Zimbabwe’s role in the trade.

The UK backed the deal because it was having to represent the views of the EU as a whole.

SO - WHAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT OF THE EU?

The British delegation issued a statement making clear its concerns about Zimbabwe’s controls on the trade and where the money raised from the sale would go - but urged countries to "defer" buying ivory from the country.

But conservationists warned that a legal trade in ivory will simply act as a smokescreen for the illegal trade - and trigger a new round of poaching.

Shadow Environment Secretary Peter Ainsworth said: "It is deplorable that the Government has chosen to ignore the risk of a massive increase in the illegal ivory trade.

"Instead of taking a lead in helping to secure the survival of the African elephant, Ministers have shabbily hidden behind their officials and waved through a decision which is bound to have bloody consequences for one of the world’s most loved creatures."

The director of the UK branch of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Robbie Marsland, said: "In voting to approve China as an ivory buyer, the UK has effectively signed a death warrant for thousands of elephants.

"We believe they were wrong not to listen to the public and political opinion of those who support elephant protection over ivory trade.

"Elephants across Africa will now bear the brunt of this deadly decision.

"Allowing new ivory to be imported into China will stimulate demand and create a smokescreen for illegal ivory to be laundered into the legal market, to be sold in stores or online to Chinese citizens or foreigners.”

The vote allowed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to give the go-ahead for China to become a trading partner for 108 tonnes of legally held elephant ivory from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The tusks have been taken from elephants that either died naturally or were culled to control the burgeoning population in southern Africa.

Conservationists argue that it is virtually impossible for traders to tell legal from illegal ivory which in turn fuels poaching.

Michael Wamithi, Programme Director for IFAW’s global elephants programme and former director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, said: “An estimated 20,000 elephants are slaughtered annually for the trade in their tusks.

"Many African elephant range states clearly do not have the capacity or resources to combat these massive attacks on their countries’ wildlife heritage and the burgeoning markets in China are only fuelling these attacks.”

The demand for ivory in China has already sent prices soaring from £100/kg to £425/kg in four years, providing rich incentives for poachers and traders.

The chairman of the Environmental Investigation Agency, Allan Thornton, warned that trading of ivory — a booming black market in tusks, jewellery and trinkets - is already "out of control".

Environment minister Joan Ruddock defended Britain’s support for the deal, saying it followed a successful "one-off " sale of southern African ivory sanctioned in 2002.

She said: "Today’s decision allows China along with Japan to become a trading partner for this ivory. Any other form of ivory sales remains illegal under international law.

"China has satisfied the CITES Standing Committee that it has established robust controls to manage the legally stockpiled ivory to ensure it is not exported from and is effectively monitored within China.

"This one off sale is only from elephants that have not died as a result of poaching.

"According to the Director of TRAFFIC when the last legal stockpile sale was carried out in 1999 the illicit trade progressively declined. We hope to see a similar result.

"China has shown itself willing to crack down on illegal ivory trading and we expect them to continue to do so. The sales will be monitored and reports back made to the international CITES committee.”

A spokesman for Defra said that the EU had come to a joint decision on the issue and the UK, with Bulgaria, had represented the EU on the CITES standing committee.

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