Investigation: Biosecurity threat uncovered as social media bushmeat sellers target UK

The Countryside Alliance has uncovered evidence of widespread illicit smuggling of 'bushmeat' into the UK via social media. The finds of the investigation have been shared with the Daily Mail, who have since published a story on the issue.

Illegal imports of meat, potentially infected with dangerous diseases, could risk devastating the UK's livestock farming sector. 

Banned ‘bushmeat’ smuggled into the UK is being sold for home delivery via social media. Experts warn it could be contaminated with deadly ebola, or a host of other diseases. Concerns have been raised over a rise in the easy availability of potentially dangerous illegal meat – including monkeys, porcupines, African cane rats and lizards – as accounts on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram offer ‘doorstep delivery’. 

A Government spokesman said it is ‘unequivocal that importing illegal meat is unacceptable’. 

The term bushmeat covers wild mammals, reptiles and birds hunted in West and Central Africa, Asia and the Americas. While meat imported legally into the UK must pass stringent health checks to ensure it is safe, smuggled bushmeat dodges these. 

The Food Standards Agency advises consumers not to buy or eat bushmeat or other illegal meat, as it may be unsafe. 

Experts have warned that it could be carrying serious infectious diseases, including foot-and-mouth, anthrax, the deadly ebola virus, TB or cholera. 

One TikTok profile, based in Lagos, Nigeria, claims to have ‘freshly dried’ porcupine and ‘grasscutter’ – known as the greater cane rat – ‘very much available’, and also boasts how easy it is to get bushmeat into the UK, showing a package with a London postcode and the caption: ‘Bushmeat package arrived UK.’ It recently offered a ‘United Kingdom Combo deal’ including ‘1 antelope or grasscutter’ ‘1 full goat meat’ and ‘50 pieces of dried snails’ for £397. 

Another profile offers UK ‘doorstep delivery’ within 11 days and ‘express’ shipping for ‘contraband’ items including ‘ponmo fish, dried snail, kilishi [a form of jerky] and dried meat’. 

Nearly 100 tons of illegal meat was confiscated at Dover last year – a rise of more than 75 per cent on 2023. The boss of the Dover Port Health Authority said illegal meat, which has not been through proper health checks, was now available on "most high streets" in the UK. 

At a time when foot and mouth disease has been found in Germany, and we are struggling with Avian Influenza cases in our own country, the dangers of potentially disease-ridden meat being illegally imported into the UK are obvious. 

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, warned:

“The illicit selling of foreign meat as well as bushmeat can present a severe biosecurity threat that has the potential to devastate the livestock farming sector and destroy the wider rural economy”. 

"Because of the borderless nature of the internet, sellers are able to flog a catalogue of dubious products, which appear to be easily transported into our country. 

"The Government must urge social media companies to take responsibility and crack down on this dangerous trade as a matter of urgency."

TikTok has since removed two of the profiles highlighted by the Mail.