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The short answer
Bushmeat is meat, and GOV.UK says you cannot bring meat or meat products into Great Britain from non-EU countries such as Nigeria. If you declare it, Border Force takes it and destroys it. If you do not, you could be fined up to £5,000 in England or prosecuted. Nigeria is also not on Defra's approved lists for meat, so there is no commercial route either.
Smoked grasscutter (cane rat), antelope or monkey meat sometimes travels in suitcases from Nigeria to London, usually as a gift for a relative who misses home food. When it is found, it is taken. The reason is not that it is unusual food; it is that it is meat, and the rules on meat from outside the EU leave no room for it.
The rule for luggage
GOV.UK's guidance on bringing food into Great Britain says that from non-EU countries you cannot bring in meat or meat products, and milk products are excluded apart from limited infant and medical foods. There is no allowance for small amounts or for smoked, dried or cooked meat. Bushmeat, whether fresh, smoked or dried, falls under that ban.
What happens at the airport
GOV.UK's "if you break the rules" page sets out three outcomes:
| What you do | What GOV.UK says happens |
|---|---|
| Declare the meat to Border Force at customs | They take it away and destroy it |
| Do not declare it and it is found | You could be fined up to £5,000 (in England) or prosecuted |
| Pack it with other food or clothes | Contaminated clothing or bags, for example with blood from meat, will be destroyed too |
Border Force can also seize products if it thinks you brought something in illegally or brought too much of a restricted product. The £5,000 figure is the England fine on the GOV.UK page; other parts of Great Britain may differ.
Example (illustrative)
Example only. Chika lands at Heathrow with a cooler box: 3kg of smoked fish, 2kg of smoked grasscutter and a bag of ogbono. If she goes through the red channel and declares the grasscutter, it is taken and destroyed. The fish is within the 20kg per person allowance for fish. If she walks through the green channel and the grasscutter is found, she risks the fine or prosecution, and if blood from the meat has soaked into the box, the box and anything contaminated may be destroyed with it.
Why the rules are this strict
The meat rules are animal-health controls. Defra's approval lists for imports, such as the lists of countries approved for fresh meat, meat products and poultry, are made under animal health legislation and decide which countries can send meat at all. Nigeria is not on the fresh meat, meat products or poultry lists. GOV.UK adds that some products must also come from establishments approved to export to Great Britain, and hunted wild meat sold in a Nigerian market does not come through that system. Some wild species are additionally protected under international wildlife trade rules, which GOV.UK covers in its CITES permit guidance.
Is there a legal way to sell it in the UK?
Not from Nigeria. A commercial importer needs the country to be approved for the product and the producer to be an approved establishment, with a health certificate and border control post checks. Nigeria is not approved for meat categories, so there is no lawful route for Nigerian bushmeat into Great Britain. Any bushmeat on sale in the UK that claims to be from Nigeria should be treated as illegally imported. See meat, fish and dairy from Nigeria.
If you have already been stopped
If Border Force has taken bushmeat from you, the GOV.UK page does not describe an appeal for destroyed food. If you have been told you may be fined or prosecuted, keep any paperwork you were given and get advice. Do not try to send the same products by post or courier instead: commercial meat imports need country approval that Nigeria does not have, and GOV.UK's personal food pages offer no postal exception.
Relatives in Nigeria often pack food with love and without knowing the UK rules. Sending them the GOV.UK page before they travel, or a short list of what is allowed, avoids the scene at the airport.
What you can bring instead
- Fish, including dried and smoked, up to 20kg per person.
- Many dry goods and plant foods for personal use, subject to GOV.UK's fruit, vegetables and seeds rules.
- Processed and packaged plant products, which GOV.UK lists as exempt from plant health certificates.
For the full list, see bringing food from Nigeria in your luggage. If you post food, read the parcel rules first.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme has no role in what goes into a suitcase. If you are sending money home for family to buy food locally instead, Send from a Pryme account shows the rate and the fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
Can I bring bushmeat from Nigeria to the UK?
No. GOV.UK says you cannot bring meat or meat products into Great Britain from non-EU countries, and bushmeat is meat.
What is the fine for bringing bushmeat into the UK?
GOV.UK says that if you do not declare banned food products you could be fined up to £5,000 in England or prosecuted.
Is smoked or dried bushmeat allowed?
No. The ban covers meat and meat products whatever the processing.
What if I declare it at customs?
Border Force will take it away and destroy it.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Bringing food into Great Britain, meat, dairy, fish and animal products · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Bringing food into Great Britain, if you break the rules · accessed Oct 2026
- Defra: Non-EU trading partners approved to export fresh meat of ungulates to Great Britain (latest change 25 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Defra: Non-EU trading partners approved to export meat products to Great Britain (latest change 23 Jul 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Defra on data.gov.uk: Non-EU countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain (updated 25 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.