The Government received 71,238 responses to the consultation, including 60,613 campaign responses and 2 petition responses. The Heritage Alliance responded as well.
The Government’s consultation response provides a summary of the responses, evidence and views submitted to the consultation and contains a policy statement setting out the basis on which the Government intends to introduce a ban on UK ivory sales.
The ban will cover commercial activities i.e.:
(a) buying, selling or hiring ivory
(b) offering or arranging to buy, sell or hire ivory
(c) keeping ivory for sale or hire;
(d) exporting ivory from the United Kingdom for sale or hire;
(e) importing ivory into the United Kingdom for sale or hire.
A number of limited exemptions are set out on page 24:
1) De minimis -Items with an ivory content of less than 10% by volume, and which were made prior to 1947;
2) Musical instruments with an ivory content of less than 20%, and which were made prior to 1975;
3) Portrait miniatures produced prior to 100 years before the coming into force of this ban [the Alliance argued for such an exemption];
4) Items made of, or containing, ivory, which are assessed as of outstandingly high artistic, cultural or historical value, and are an example of the rarest and most important item of their type. A limited number of institutions, such as selected museums, will provide advice to the Animal and Plant Health Authority on whether an item should be exempted under this category; and
5) Commercial activities which includes sales, loans and exchanges to, and between, museums accredited by the Arts Council England, the Welsh Government, Museums and Galleries Scotland or the Northern Ireland Council of Museums. The Alliance had asked for this exemption to apply to collections displayed in historic houses, the National Trust etc.