THE UK will introduce the toughest ban on ivory sales anywhere Europe in a bid to save elephants from extinction, Michael Gove has today announced.

The Environment Secretary revealed that anyone caught breaking the ban will face up to five years in jail – or an unlimited fine.

Some 55 elephants are slaughtered for their ivory every day to make trinkets and trophies.

In the last 10 years, the number of elephants has declined by almost a third and around 20,000 a year are still being slaughtered due to the global demand for ivory.

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As profits become ever greater, the illegal wildlife trade has become a transnational organised enterprise, estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year.

Last night the Scottish Government backed Whitehall’s move with a spokesman saying: "We are fully supportive of all measures to restrict and stop the sale of ivory and the associated devastating impact this trade has on wild elephant populations.”

Addressing the ban, Mr Gove said: “Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol, so we will introduce one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales to protect elephants for future generations.

“The ban on ivory sales we will bring into law will reaffirm the UK’s global leadership on this critical issue, demonstrating our belief that the abhorrent ivory trade should become a thing of the past."

Charlie Mayhew of the Tusk Trust, said: "The ban will ensure there is no value for modern day ivory and the tusks of recently poached elephants cannot enter the UK market.

"We welcome the fact that ministers are sending such a clear message to the world that the illegal wildlife trade will not be tolerated and every effort will be made to halt the shocking decline in Africa’s elephant population in recent years,” he added.

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WWF Chief Executive Tanya Steele said the ban made the UK a "global leader in tackling this bloody trade" and called for "global action" to stop the poaching of the "majestic" elephant.

At present in the UK, the sale of raw African elephant ivory of any age is banned but items carved from the material before March 3, 1947 can be traded without the need for a certificate

There has been a ban on international commercial trade in ivory since 1990.

But under the UK’s new ban there will be certain narrowly-defined and carefully-targeted exemptions for items, which do not contribute to the poaching of elephants.

The Government emphasise that that by covering ivory items of all ages and adopting narrow exemptions, the UK ban would be one of the toughest in the world.

The exemptions have been tightened since the Government published its proposals for consultation but it insists still provide balance to ensure people are not unfairly impacted.

The exemptions include:

*items comprised of less than 10 per cent ivory by volume and made prior to 1947;

*musical instruments with an ivory content of less than 20 per cent and made prior to 1975 when Asian elephants were added to CITES;

*portrait miniatures painted on thin slivers of ivory and which are at least 100 years old and

*commercial activities to and between UK museums, which are accredited by Museums and Galleries Scotland, Arts Council England, the Welsh Government or the Northern Ireland Museums Council, and the International Council of Museums for museums outside the UK.

The US federal ban exempts all items older than 100 years as well as items with up to 50 per cent ivory content while the Chinese ban exempts ivory “relics”, without setting a date before which these must have been produced.

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The Government insists it is already showing global leadership in the international fight against the illegal ivory trade; in October, the UK will host the fourth international conference on the illegal wildlife trade.

The UK Government first announced its intention to intensify the ban on ivory sales last autumn and its announced move today follows a public consultation on the prohibition of ivory sales.

There were more than 70,000 responses, 88 per cent of which supported a ban.

It will be brought into force through primary legislation at Westminster, although no precise timescale has yet been given, and will cover ivory items of all ages not just those produced after a certain date.