Battle lines were set during a House of Lords debate about the proposed ivory ban on December 21.
The established arguments for and against a total ban were voiced by 11 peers, with the trade corner fought by both LAPADA chairman and former environment minister Lord De Mauley and Lord Carrington of Fulham.
Both emphasised that antiques were unconnected to the illicit market, and said there was ample expertise among UK professionals to date ivory objects properly. They did, however, advocate a licensing system that would be administered and paid for by the auction and dealing community under the supervision of Defra.