MEL Stride, the MP for Central Devon, has described the Ivory Act 2018 which became law just before Christmas as one of the toughest in the world.

He praised how fast the Government took the legislation through the Parliamentary process with support from across the House.

The number of elephants has declined by almost a third in the last decade and around 20,000 a year are still being slaughtered due to the global demand for ivory.

The Act:

• Introduces a total ban on dealing in items containing elephant ivory, regardless of their age, within the UK, as well as export from or import to the UK.

• Introduces tough new penalties for those found guilty of breaching the ban, including fines and possible imprisonment.

• Creates a narrow and carefully defined set of exemptions and establishes a new compliance system to allow owners to continue to trade in exempt items.

Mr Stride said: “The Ivory Act is a historic landmark in UK efforts to protect elephants from poaching and it was good to see the Government showing global leadership that is now putting pressure on other countries to follow suit.

"The bill includes pragmatic exemptions, such as sales to and between accredited museums, to protect items of important cultural and historical value, but these are very carefully and narrowly defined.

"Those found to be in breach of the ban face potential imprisonment, sending a clear message that the ivory trade must end.”

The Act became law on December 20, 2018 and will come into force in late 2019.

The Ivory Act 2018 creates narrow and carefully defined exemptions to the ban for:

• Sales to and between accredited museums. This applies museums accredited by Arts Council England, the Welsh Government, The Scottish Government or the Northern Ireland Museums Council in the UK, or, for museums outside the UK, The International Council of Museums.

• The rarest and most important items of their type. Items of outstanding artistic, cultural or historic significance, and made prior to 1918. Such items will be subject to the advice of specialists at institutions such as the UK’s most prestigious museums.

• Items with only a small amount of ivory. Such items must be comprised of less than 10 per cent ivory by volume and have been made prior to 1947.

• Musical instruments. These must have an ivory content of less than 20 per cent and have been made prior to 1975.

• Portrait miniatures. A specific exemption for portrait miniatures – which were often painted on thin slivers of ivory – made before 1918.