Ivory regulation

A judge in London has ruled against a London gallery over the seizure of a Chinese silver tea set dating from the Qing dynasty containing a tiny amount of ivory.

China is shutting a third of its ivory factories and shops, as it begins to meet the requirements of a formal ban by the end of the year.

A report out today (March 14) calls for "significant structural changes" to the laws governing the sale of ivory in the UK but trade bodies have queried its methodology, citing low response rates.

A police ordeal for a Derbyshire antiques dealer following a “draconian” swoop over a Victorian ivory thermometer has finally been resolved.

A group of historians, museums and TV presenters including Alan Titchmarsh and David Starkey have condemned the slaughter of elephants but have argued the case for the defence of the antiques trade.

The debate over the trade in antiques containing ivory reached Radio 4 last week. BBC Radio 4's daily consumer programme 'You & Yours' featured a slot on the topic with both wildlife charities and the antiques trade represented.

The government remains open-minded on proposals to extend its planned ban on trade in post-1947 ivory to antiques with ivory dating before this time, despite pressure from some MPs to do so.

A handful of MPs stood up for the antiques trade in a debate on the UK domestic ivory market in parliament yesterday, calling for antiques to be exempt from any ivory ban.

A parliamentary debate is to be held this afternoon in the House of Commons' Westminster Hall ahead of the launch of a government consultation.

At ATG’s Seminar on CITES, Victoria Borwick MP started the ball rolling on our consultation with the government on ivory in a traditional way – by calling on the trade to write to their local MPs.

The survey that will kick off the government’s consultation into the UK ivory trade is expected to be launched this week, and is open to all to give their views.

The government consultation on the ivory trade will kick off in the new year with plans to begin the crackdown on ivory dated post-1947 from March.

MP and BADA president Victoria Borwick has given a passionate defence of the antique ivory trade in Parliament, strongly arguing against a total ban.

The Los Angeles Superior Court has upheld California’s uncompromising ban on the sale of most ivory objects.

A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles has heard the legal arguments that challenge California’s uncompromising ban on the sale of practically all ivory objects.

Protestors organised by wildlife charity Action for Elephants are demonstrating outside of The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in London today to make the case for banning the ivory trade in the UK.

Derbyshire-based Bamfords Auctioneers & Valuers has announced it will no longer sell solid ivory objects.

The British Antiques Dealers’ Association is launching an ivory object certification system for its members, as one response to the government’s push for proof of age whenever pre-1947 worked ivory is sold.