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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) cost to pet retailers of selling individual Hermann's tortoises and (b) cost to wholesalers importing large numbers of Hermann's tortoises as a consequence of the proposed charges for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species licences and permits. [184714] Mr. Morley: No specific assessment has been made within the regulatory impact assessment of the effects on pet retailers selling tortoises. However, the assessments made over a range of traders in CITES protected species assume that the additional costs will be passed on to the consumer and that costs will rise by the amount of the proposed increase in the fee levels. As a general practice wholesale importers apply for an import permit to cover a number of specimens of the same species and their costs will therefore be lower when apportioned between individual specimens.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

424 c402W; 184714

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Costs Conservation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Fees and charges Licensing Nature conservation Pets Retail trade Wholesale trade Impact assessments Tortoises

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk