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Closed Ban the sale and possession of shark fin in the UK

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Make it a criminal offence to trade or possess separated shark fin or tail

The practises related to the trade and consumption of shark fin are decimating shark populations around the world, and amount to nothing more than ecological vandalism. Shark fin has no discernible medical or nutritional value, and the action of 'finning' a shark is inhumane and unnecessary. The UK government should close all loopholes regarding this industry, and should consider making shark fin a banned commodity.

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  • Related activity

    Ban the sale and possession of shark fin in the UK

    On June 29, the Shark Fins Act passed into law, banning the international shark fin trade. The Act will ban the import and export of detached shark fins, including all products containing shark fins such as tinned shark fin soup.

    Shark finning has been banned in the UK since 2003 through the Shark Finning Regulation, and since 2009 a ‘Fins Naturally Attached’ policy has been enforced to further combat illegal finning of sharks in UK waters and by UK vessels worldwide.

    The Shark Fins Act builds on these existing protections by preventing the trade of detached shark fins and related products obtained using this method.

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  • Related activity

    MPs approve new laws on banning the import and export of shark fins

    On 20 January, MPs agreed to approve a Bill which proposes the banning of the import and export of detached shark fins and shark fin products.

    The Bill is a Private Member's Bill, and was introduced by Christina Rees MP.

    Read more about the measures proposed in the Bill in this House of Commons Library Research Briefing.

    What happens next?

    The Bill has now completed its stages in the House of Commons, and now goes to the House of Lords. The Bill must be approved by both Houses before it can become law. If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it will ban the import and export of shark fins.

    You can keep up to date with progress of this Bill on the Bill's webpage.

    What is a Private Member's Bill?

    Private Members' Bills are Bills introduced by MPs who are not government ministers. They can be about any topic, but the main purpose can’t be to create a new tax or increase Government spending. Private Members' Bills must go through the same stages of consideration by Parliament before they can become law.

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  • Related activity

    MPs debate proposed new laws on shark finning

    On Friday 15 July, MPs debated the Shark Fins Bill in the main House of Commons chamber. This was a Second Reading debate, where MPs debate the general principles of a Bill (a proposed new set of laws).

    If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it will ban the import and export of shark fins.

    The Bill is a Private Member's Bill, and was introduced by Christina Rees MP. Responding for the Government, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Double MP, confirmed that the Government will support the Bill.

    Read more about the measures proposed in the Bill in this House of Commons Library Research Briefing.

    What happens next?

    Having passed Second Reading, the Bill will now be sent to a Public Bill Committee, where a committee of MPs will scrutinise the Bill line by line. The dates for when a committee will consider the Bill are yet to be confirmed.

    Find out more about how committee stage works, and what happens after committee stage.

    You can keep up to date with progress of this Bill on the Bill's webpage.

    What is a Private Member's Bill?

    Private Members' Bills are Bills introduced by MPs who are not government ministers. They can be about any topic, but the main purpose can’t be to create a new tax or increase Government spending. Private Members' Bills must go through the same stages of consideration by Parliament before they can become law.

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  • Petition closed

  • Related activity

    Government publishes outcome of consultation on the import and export of shark fins

    The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have published a summary of responses to a call for evidence on the scale and impact of the import and export of shark fins, and details of the next steps it will be taking on this issue.

    Read the summary here:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/shark-fin-trade-call-for-evidence/outcome/summary-of-responses-call-for-evidence-on-the-scale-and-impacts-of-the-import-and-export-of-shark-fins

    The call for evidence sought views on the scale of shark fin trade in the UK; conservation impacts of shark fin trade in the UK; economic, social, and cultural impacts of further restrictions on shark fin trade in the UK; and international issues.

    The majority of respondents were supportive of stricter controls on the trade of shark fins, with no respondents being opposed to them. Most respondents welcomed increased efforts for shark conservation and emphasised strong opposition to shark finning and the trade of detached shark fins.

    Many respondents believed that stricter controls on shark fin trade would have minimal or low impact on businesses, and consumers, and individuals and would not impact jobs and livelihoods of fishers in the UK.

    What happens next?

    The Government has says the evidence provided in response to its Call for Evidence will be used to develop a policy measure that seeks to ban all fins that are not naturally attached to the shark carcass from being imported to and exported from the UK. The Government has said the ban will apply to detached fins brought into the UK commercially or under the personal import allowance.

    Petitions Committee debate on animal welfare

    On Monday 7 June the Petitions Committee debated a number of petitions relating to animal welfare, including one calling for a ban on the importation of shark fins.

    Watch the debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GfznTV76Ls&feature=youtu.be

    Read the debate transcript: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-06-07/debates/081C04E8-CAAA-408D-8AD1-85A058640393/AnimalWelfare

  • Related activity

    Government announces plans for new animal welfare laws

    As part of the Queen's Speech on Tuesday 11th May, the Government announced that it plans to introduce new laws to protect and promote the highest standards of animal welfare in the UK.

    The Government's proposals are set out in a new Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which was published this week. Its proposals focus on improving the welfare of pets and farmed animals, and protecting wild animals in the UK and animals exported or found outside the UK.

    The Government intends to introduce three new Bills into Parliament to make these changes - the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, the Kept Animals Bill, and the Animals Abroad Bill. These Bills will be published in due course.

    Read more about the Government's plans here:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-lead-the-way-on-animal-welfare-through-flagship-new-action-plan

    Read the Queen's Speech background briefing notes for more information on the Government's proposed Bills:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/queens-speech-2021-background-briefing-notes

    What is the Queen's Speech?

    The Queen's Speech is the speech that the Queen reads out in the House of Lords Chamber on the occasion of the State Opening of Parliament.

    It's written by the Government and sets out the programme of Bills - new laws, and changes to existing laws - that the Government intends to put forward in this new Parliamentary session. A session of Parliament usually lasts around one year.

    Once the Government puts forward a Bill in Parliament, Parliament then debates the Government's proposal and decides whether to adopt the changes to the law set out in the Bill.

  • Petition published

    This petition can now be signed.

    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 14 October 2021.