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Conservationists hope the UK ban will lead to EU-wide action on the illegal trade
Britain was due to publish legislation on Wednesday to ban ivory sales. The new law will introduce some of the strictest legislation in the world.
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There were more than 70,000 response to a consultation, with over 88 percent of responses in favour of the ban.
The British government fears illicit sales of ivory are helping to fund Islamic militants.
The ban will cover ivory items of all ages – not only those produced after a certain date.
As well as fines the maximum penalty will be up to five years in prison.
The number of elephants has declined by almost a third in the last decade and around 20,000 a year are still being slaughtered due to the global demand for ivory.