To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the ban on wild bird imports on the illegal trade in wild birds. (172694)

There is currently a lack of information to form an assessment of the effect of the ban on illegal trade and the livelihoods of those trappers involved in developing countries. DEFRA has let a research contract to address this, which is expected to report early in 2008.