Dear John,

We wish we could write to you with a more positive update, but the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, a Private Members Bill introduced by Henry Smith MP, which would have banned British imports of hunting trophies from threatened species, has been scuppered by a few pro-hunting members of the House of Lords.

Despite the Government making a manifesto commitment to ban imports of hunting trophies from endangered animals, it has so far failed to deliver, and failed to announce an intention to reintroduce the legislation as a Government Bill in the recent King’s Speech.

While Mr Smith deserves great credit for pursuing the ban and navigating his Bill through the House of Commons, this manifesto commitment should have been the subject of a Government Bill in the first place, rather than being left to the much more precarious processes and timings associated with a Private Members Bill. 

It is therefore vital that we do all we can to urge the Government to reintroduce the ban as a Government Bill in the new parliamentary session.

We are writing to ask you to support a new government petition, calling on the Government to ensure a ban on trophy hunting imports become law.

Trophy hunting is cruel, it damages the conservation of diminishing wildlife populations in many parts of the world, and prevents the development of progressive, humane and much more effective ways of ensuring that local people can peacefully co-exist with and benefit from wildlife.

The UK has a real opportunity to take a firm stand against the vile trophy hunting industry, but we need the power of our collective voice to make the Government listen and understand that what the British public wants is to Get The Ban Done.

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