§ Miss Fookesasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ban the import of tortoises for commercial purposes.
§ Mr. MarksUnder the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976 the import of all tortoises is subject to licence. Licences are not normally granted to those species of tortoises listed as endangered under the Washington Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
For those species not listed under the convention as endangered, the Department, acting on the advice of the Scientific Authority for Animals set up under the Act, has obtained the agreement of representatives of the tortoise trade to operate a voluntary quota system which should result in a reduction in the level of tortoise imports.