The Horticultural Trades Association welcomes publication of the government response and proposals following its consultation on reform of its approach to key aspects of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The HTA has led lobbying for the UK plant trade to secure reform of this legislation that is pragmatic, modernised, and reflects industry needs, whilst balancing the CITES objective of protecting key species.

The key developments set out in the proposals and advocated for by the HTA include:

• removing import permits requirements for artificially propagated plants, which will remove permit fees and administrative costs to businesses
• reducing paperwork and processing times, making compliance simpler and faster for businesses.

Jennifer Pheasey, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, said:

“The HTA has been an active and constructive voice supporting the urgent need to reform CITES to reflect modern propagation techniques, horticultural business needs, digital systems and trade supply-chains. We have seen many of our members simply stop trading certain species, or even be required to destroy stock, due to bureaucratic burdens and outdated processes, which in turn have increased business costs and reduced consumer choice.

“We welcome the announcements on removing permit requirements for artificially propagated plants and recognition of the need to speed up the process, which the HTA has long called for. Now, it is critical to know when HTA members will feel the benefits of these changes, and we note that key areas, such as fee reform, are yet to come. This will leave many businesses apprehensive, when already facing a wave of costs this spring.

“We are now working through the details of the proposals and liaising with members to identify the opportunities and outstanding issues.”

Members can access previous HTA webinars on CITES via the website here: hta.org.uk/cites-webinar