The department, now led by Michael Gove MP, issued statements via Defra junior minister Thérèse Coffey in parliamentary written questions and answers this month.
Coffey said: “Any further UK restrictions on the sale of ivory would be subject to consultation. Details of the timetable for such a consultation would be announced at launch.”
The statement from Coffey came as foreign secretary Boris Johnson said the government has “a commitment to an all-out ban on the sale of ivory in this country, and that is what we intend to pursue”.