Banned ‘bushmeat’ smuggled into the UK is being sold for home delivery via social media, as concerns continue to rise over the amount of illegal meat in the UK.
The shocking finding is part of a Daily Mail investigation, which highlighted the growing availability of potentially dangerous illegal meat.
These include monkeys, porcupines, African cane rats and lizards, according to the paper, with accounts on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram offering ‘doorstep delivery’.
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, the investigation found that smuggled bushmeat 'dodges these'.
It comes as recent disease cases in Europe have highlighted glaring weaknesses in the UK’s biosecurity at borders.
Nearly 100 tons of illegal meat was confiscated at Dover last year – a rise of more than 75 percent on 2023.
Concerns were also raised after Northern Irish port authorities seized around 600kg of illegal meat that was smuggled into port on the Stranraer ferry.
The Daily Mail investigation found several social media profiles TikTok profiles claiming to have ‘freshly dried’ porcupine and ‘grasscutter’ – known as the greater cane rat.
Responding, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, of the Countryside Alliance, called on the government to make social media firms 'take responsibility', as illegal meat posed a threat to UK livestock farms.
He said: "The borderless nature of the internet means sellers are easily able to flog a catalogue of dubious products, which appear to be easily transported into our country.
"The illicit selling of bushmeat can present a severe biosecurity threat that has the potential to devastate the livestock farming sector and rural economy."
The Food Standards Agency (FCA) 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.
There is a ban on importing meat from outside the European single market, including items bought online.
A government spokesman said it is "unequivocal that importing illegal meat is unacceptable".
