The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments which aims to regulate the international trade of threatened plant and animal species. The Convention has been signed by over 180 countries and protects listed plants and animals from unsustainable exploitation in the wild due to international trade.

Organised by the HTA due to increased reports of compliance challenges, over 70 participants from both the UK and EU joined the webinar – the recording of which is available for HTA members. The session aimed to provide the latest information on regulations for those involved in the movement of flora covered by CITES controls across the UK border.

Participants heard from guest speakers Alex Brook (Defra), Lydia Andrews (APHA) and Ann Ainslie (Border Force) to learn about permits, policies and proposals for future legislation reform.

The HTA has communicated to the UK CITES-responsible bodies the sector’s challenges and the desire to see improvements in user experience. This includes faster processing of import permit applications for live plants and the complete digitisation of the CITES application permit process.

“The high level of attendance and engagement at the HTA’s webinar shows the demand for a smoother, less onerous CITES process. We are very pleased to hear Defra’s proposals to reform the UK legislation to facilitate legitimate trade by possibly removing the need for import permits for certain types of plant trades, or allowing semi-completed permits for live artificially propagated plants. We look forward to the consultation detailing these proposals, which we understand will be published in the Spring,” said Sally Cullimore, HTA Technical Policy Manager.