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Smuggling: Wildlife

Volume 479: debated on Monday 21 July 2008

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many products made from endangered wildlife sources have been seized by HM Revenue and Customs in 2008 to date. (220039)

HM Revenue and Customs made the following seizures of endangered species between 1 January 2008 and 31 March 2008:

Number of seizures

Number of items seized

Weight of items seized (kg)

Live animals and birds

8

23

Parts and derivatives of endangered species

24

453

0.62

Ivory

6

75

Plants

1

55

Other species listed under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (including coral, caviar and ginseng)

19

685

8.42

Preparations of oriental medicines which include parts or derivatives of endangered species

14

5,748

57.11

CITES seizures are recorded by number of items seized or by weight, whichever is the most practical. Apart from the live specimens, all of the above categories may include products of endangered species.

The total number of seizures of endangered species items for the financial year 2007-08 can found at Annex F of HMRC's Departmental Report 2008 at:

www.hmrc.gov.uk