As a member of SCI, Scandinavian Trophy Transport received below mail, we want to share the infomation with our clients.
From the mail below, Scandinavian Trophy Transport want to point out that we as a freight forwarder, is aware and will help our clients as much as possible.

We have contact to CITES authorities all over Europe to be on top of the upcomming changes.

According to Danish Nature Conservation all hunts that have been book and/or paid for will not be affected by the changes.


Mail from SCI:



"EARLY WARNING - EU TROPHY IMPORT RULES TO CHANGE

THIS AFFECTS EU HUNTERS WHO HAVE RECENTLY HUNTED, OR ARE PLANNING TO HUNT, ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: WHITE RHINO, LION, ELEPHANT, HIPPO, ARGALI SHEEP, POLAR BEAR

The EU is proposing to make it more difficult to import hunting trophies of these species into the EU. The rules are not final, but it is expected that they will take effect as described in this note, probably around the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015. Under the new rules, a trophy of any of these species cannot be imported into an EU country without an import certificate issued by the wildlife authority of the importing country. The importing country will refuse to issue a certificate if it considers on scientific advice that the hunt was harmful to the species, or that the country where it was hunted has failed to confirm it was legally taken. The wildlife authority has to take into account the views of the EU Scientific Review Group, which are published from time to time.

What should you do?

- - If you have hunted these species but have not yet received the trophies, you should contact your outfitter to see if they can be shipped to arrive before these rules come into force. It may be best to appoint a shipping agent who is watching for these rules to come into force, as if the shipment arrives after the rules come into force, it might have to be returned to the country of the hunt to await the permit decision, resulting in extra shipping costs;

- - Be aware when you are booking a hunt for these species that you will not know for certain in advance whether you will be able to import the trophy;

- - Contact the wildlife authority in your country before the hunt and before the shipment of the trophy so you understand whether you are likely to get an import permit, and what the procedures are. Contact details can be found here: http://ec.europa.eu/environmen...inks_national_en.htm

You will find via the link below information relating to changes in EU wildlife trade law which should be formally adopted by the end of 2014: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/cites/news_en.htm

First For Hunters,

President
Safari Club International

http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=684

European Union Threatens New Trophy Import Restrictions

(posted October 23, 2014)

Editor’s note: Correspondent Rolf Baldus has alerted us to a potential hurdle that EU-based hunters may have to jump when trying to import their legally-taken trophies in the near future. Here’s the bad news:

On October 20th the EU Commission published proposed changes to the way it will apply CITES regulations. You can see an overview of these proposals at ec.europa.eu/environment/cites/news_en.htm.

The relevant portions state:

· introduce the requirement that import permits would need to be issued by EU Member States for the first introduction into the EU of hunting trophies of specimens of six species or populations included in Annex B of Regulation 338/97 (Ceratotherium simum simum, Hippopotamus amphibius, Loxodonta africana, Ovis ammon, Panthera leo, Ursus maritimus);
· clarify that import permits should not be issued by EU Member States in cases where, despite a request to this end, they do not obtain satisfactory information from the exporting or re-exporting country as to the legality of the specimens to be imported into the EU.

In accordance with Article 19 of Regulation 338/97, the Committee on wildlife trade has given a favourable opinion to those changes. The text of the draft Regulation amending Regulation 865/2006 has been subsequently sent to the Council and the European Parliament for their right of scrutiny. Unless the Council or the Parliament objects to the adoption of this Regulation (which can be done within a period of three months after receiving the document), the changes to Regulation 865/2006 will be adopted at the end of 2014. The adoption of the changes to Regulation 792/2012 will occur at the same time.

FACE, CIC, SCI and other pro-sustainable-use organizations have already weighed in during the review process that has been going on for the past years. Unfortunately, their input has been disregarded. This effectively means that the EU will make its own non-detriment/non-harmful effect findings, ignoring CITES and the authority of the exporting country.

If there is a negative opinion, the import will simply be rejected, regardless of whether the exporting country has already agreed to issue an export permit. This will instill uncertainty when booking a hunting trip. The hunter does not know in advance whether he will be able to take his trophy home. Sadly the authorities in a number of European countries already have negative opinions concerning the species in question. Despite CITES having decided otherwise, imports will not be legal, and this will be at the discretion of low-level civil servants, who may think that they do something good for conservation.

It is expected that the Commission will implement these new regulations at the beginning of next year. They would then be in force beginning with the 2015 hunting season.

There may be some hope however: A new Commission has meanwhile been elected by the European Parliament, and it is no coincidence that the outgoing Commission has hurried to put these new anti-hunting regulations on the table. The new Commission has as one of its priorities to reduce bureaucracy and regulations that do not seem to work or put unnecessary burdens on European citizens. The new Commission could possibly overrule its predecessor. European hunters should work through their European MPs and their home Governments to achieve this. Hunters and outfitters wanting to keep track of EU SRG negative opinions, can go here: www.speciesplus.net/species.
- Rolf D. Baldus, Correspondent

Postscript: US hunters are, sadly, all too familiar with how capriciously and arbitrarily rules like this can be applied and the detrimental impact they can have on wildlife conservation. We are following up for a more complete story in our December issue.


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Like it or not .... yet another proverbial "nail in the coffin" for the sport hunting fraternity.

While SCI is doing its bit, in the US and abroad, CIC is also important, and very well connected politically. Does anyone know what they're doing on this front?

Nothing on their website 'news' page.

CIC News