Belgium bans ivory trade

On the evening of 4 April, the Belgian parliament passed a national trade ban on ivory. However, exceptions are to continue to apply for processed ivory acquired before 1975. The Belgian Ministry of the Environment had previously opposed trade restrictions – but now supports a ban both in Belgium and at EU level. This increases pressure on other EU member states and the EU Commission to likewise ban the trade. Daniela Freyer of the animal and species protection organisation Pro Wildlife comments: “We hope that this U-turn in Belgium will help finally usher in the end of the ivory trade in Europe. Germany and the EU must not become the last ones left behind and should finally ban the ivory trade.“

In  July 2018 the federal government, together with France, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg, called for EU-wide restrictions on the ivory trade.

Because of the EU's inaction, all of these countries have already taken action at the national level – only Germany has not done so so far.

Daniela Freyer

The United Kingdom passed the strictest ban in December 2018, Luxembourg in July 2018, and Belgium on 4 April 2019. France already introduced trade restrictions in 2016, and since March 2019 the Netherlands has at least banned trade in tusks and other raw ivory.

The EU has been criticised for years: despite numerous international resolutions and calls for the closure of ivory markets, and although international ivory trade has been banned since 1990, it still permits trade in ivory from supposed old stocks, in some cases even without a permit, and thus without any means of control. This loophole allows ivory from poached elephants to be smuggled into trade. In addition, the EU is the largest exporter of supposedly “old” ivory to Asia, the largest sales market for ivory. “The sale of ivory in the EU and its export to Asia are undermining global efforts to get poaching and illegal trade under control“, said the Pro Wildlife spokeswoman. The EU announced steps against the ivory trade three years ago, but has so far only banned the export of whole tusks and other raw ivory. The export and trade of ivory carvings remains permitted.

China, formerly the largest market for legal and illegal ivory, had already closed its ivory shops and carving factories in early 2018. Demand and black-market prices have fallen significantly since then. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, an ivory ban is set to come into force in 2021, and in Taiwan in 2020. The vast majority of African states, united in the 32-member “African Elephant Coalition”, along with conservationists, scientists, the EU Parliament and even some traders, have long called for a trade ban. The outcome of a public consultation by the EU Commission is likewise unambiguous: 92 percent of almost 90,000 responses call for a consistent ban on the ivory trade in the EU. In petitions by animal and species conservation organisations, well over a million people have demanded a ban.

It is high time for the EU to put an end to the bloody ivory trade once and for all. It can no longer ignore the international resolutions, the demands of African states, the European Parliament, scientists, animal welfare advocates and over a million EU citizens.

Daniela Freyer

The closure of ivory markets will also be a key focus at the upcoming CITES species conservation conference in Sri Lanka, starting at the end of May.

Background:

Cross-border trade in ivory has been banned since 1990 under the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species (CITES). In 1999 and 2008, one-off sales of ivory from southern Africa to Japan and China were permitted; since then, poaching and illegal ivory trade have risen sharply. Currently, around 20,000 elephants are poached every year for the ivory trade.  

To date, the EU permits trade in ivory from allegedly legal old stocks acquired before 1990. For supposed antiques acquired before 1947, not even permits are required. Reliable age determinations are almost impossible, and checks on the legality of "antiques" offered on the internet, at auction houses, in shops and at flea markets are rare. These exceptions therefore make it possible to smuggle poached ivory into legal trade. Moreover, in recent years the EU has become the largest exporter of "legal" ivory to Asia: in 2015 alone, EU countries exported 10,000 pieces of ivory – mainly to China.