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Government consulting on expansion of 2018 Ivory Act
The survey will be open until 11 September 2021.
The Government is seeking opinions on whether to extend the ban to other ivory-bearing species.

DEFRA is launching a consultation seeking views from the public, industry, and stakeholders on extending the Ivory Act to other species.

The consultation will gather opinions on whether the Government should bring forward legislation to extend the ban on the commercial dealing of elephant ivory in the UK to other ivory-bearing species.

The Ivory Act 2018, when commenced, will ban the sale, purchase, or hire of items which are made of or contain elephant ivory, regardless of the age of the item. This ban will apply to dealings which take place within the UK, and to imports and exports to and from the UK for commercial purposes. 

International environment minister Lord Goldsmith, who launched the consultation, said: “The Ivory Act is one of the toughest bans of its kind in the world and sends a clear message that we are doing all that we can to save elephants from the threat of extinction. 

“However the ivory trade is a conservation threat for other magnificent species such as the hippo, narwhal and walrus that are at threat. So I urge everyone to share their views to help ensure we can protect more animals from the grim ivory trade.”

DEFRA is consulting on three options. Firstly, extending the Ivory Act to hippopotamus ivory, and secondly, extending the Act to ivory from five CITES-listed species (hippopotamus, narwhal, killer whale, sperm whale, and walrus). 

The third option is to do nothing and continue to apply current international and domestic conservation rules.

The survey will be open for opinions until 11 September 2021, and can be accessed here

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Charities' XL bully neutering scheme closes

News Story 1
 A scheme that helped owners of XL bully dogs with the cost of neutering has closed to new applications due to high demand.

The scheme, run by the RSPCA, Blue Cross, and Battersea, has helped 1,800 dogs and their owners after XL bullies were banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In England and Wales, owners of XL bully dogs which were over one year old on 31 January 2021 have until 30 June 2024 to get their dog neutered. If a dog was between seven months and 12 months old, it must be neutered by 31 December 2024. If it was under seven months old, owners have until 30 June 2025.

More information can be found on the Defra website. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Avian flu cattle outbreak spreads to tenth US state

Cattle in two dairy herds in Iowa have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), making it the tenth state in the USA to be affected by the ongoing outbreak of the disease in cattle.

Since March 2024, more than 80 herds across the USA have been affected by the virus and three dairy workers have tested positive. Authorities have introduced measures to limit the spread of the virus and farmers have been urged to strengthen their biosecurity protocols.

Mike Naig, Iowa secretary of agriculture, said: "Given the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within dairy cattle in many other states, it is not a surprise that we would have a case given the size of our dairy industry in Iowa.

"While lactating dairy cattle appear to recover with supportive care, we know this destructive virus continues to be deadly for poultry."