A problem for biodiversity and health
What is ‘wild meat’ or ‘bushmeat’?
‘Wild meat’ refers to meat from undomesticated mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds that are hunted in the wild for consumption. It is called ‘bushmeat’ on the African continent.
The harvesting of wild animals is particularly developed in tropical regions and concerns a very large number of species (monkeys, pangolins, snakes, antelopes, rats, squirrels, porcupines, crocodiles, civets, etc.).
The practice is an important source of protein and nutrients for rural populations, as well as a source of economic income.
What are the health risks?
Despite the undeniable benefits for the food and economic security of these populations, it nevertheless poses significant risks to human health, animal health, biodiversity and ecosystems.
Wild meat can be contaminated with pathogens and infect humans during transport, processing or final consumption. Dead wild animals can be a source of contagion of various diseases through direct or indirect contact.
The processing and handling of raw wild meat poses a particular public health risk by promoting the transmission of certain diseases to humans, such as Ebola virus. The consumption of wild meat, even cooked, also remains a potential source of bacterial or parasitic diseases.

A danger for biodiversity
As for wild animal populations, they can decline drastically because of hunting, including endangered species that are subject to strict protection at international level. A CIFOR-ICRAF study (2011) estimates, for example, that 6 million tons of wild animals are harvested each year in the Congo and Amazon basins. The overexploitation of species can lead to their extinction and have a lasting impact on the balance of the tropical ecosystem.
Why is this a problem at the Belgian level and in the European Union?
For several years now, we have witnessed the traffic of wild meat within the countries of origin, in particular to supply local, regional and even international city markets. In Belgium, this meat is considered a luxury product by the diaspora and creates an illegal market, of which the global scale remains unknown.
It is forbidden to import meat in your luggage when returning from a country outside the European Union. Yet, every day, passengers take a flight with wild meat illegally in their luggage. This transport is carried out in questionable sanitary conditions and without traceability, which can put human health at risk but also that of wild and domestic animals.
According to a study carried out by the DG Environment of the FPS Public Health in 2019, 44 tonnes of bushmeat from sub-Saharan Africa arrives at Brussels-National Airport every year. The Belgian study showed that more than half of this meat comes from domestic animals (cattle, goats or pigs) but during the controls, the researchers also found about 40% of wild meat, a third of which are species internationally protected by the CITES convention such as pangolins, baboons, antelopes, pythons and monitor lizards.
Most of this meat is presumably destined for private consumption in Belgium, but a number of questions remain unanswered, including whether there is a more organised structure behind this trade, with connections at European level.
What can public authorities do?
To protect biodiversity and prevent the introduction of pathogens, a national control strategy is needed, involving all stakeholders. Currently, a multidisciplinary and interministerial task force is working on a draft Belgian plan and has defined a series of actions to:
- better understand the scale and characteristics of trafficking and risks;
- improve legislation, border controls and procedures;
- develop collaborative actions with the aviation sector;
- empower and raise consumer awareness.

On 12 December 2024, at the initiative of the FPS Public Health, an expert workshop was held in Brussels as part of the work of the task force. The objective was to specifically discuss the issues related to the illegal importation of wild meat and to define the priority actions to be implemented at the national level. About sixty participants from public administrations, non-governmental organizations, scientific institutions and the air transport sector were present.
During the morning of the workshop, various presentations were given in order to better understand the problem, the actions carried out so far and the course of action for the future. The presence of representatives of French customs, the French Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the airline Air France made it possible to compare the knowledge and strategies developed in Belgium and France at the public and private levels, as well as to exchange and explore possibilities for a more regular exchange, or even coordinated actions between the two countries.
The afternoon discussions of the workshop made it possible to identify priority recommendations, which will allow the task force to finalize its proposal for a plan to combat the illegal importation of wild meat.
Here you will find:
- the concept note of the workshop
- the workshop program
- the speakers’ presentations:
FPS Public Health Food Chain Safety and Environment
General Directorate of Customs and Excise – France
- the workshop report
- the policy recommendations
- the proposal for a Belgian plan on illegal wild meat (FR)/ (NL)
A call for vigilance and responsibility
As citizens, we all have a role to play in preserving biodiversity and fighting this trade. It is forbidden to import meat in your luggage when returning from countries outside the European Union. If in doubt, it’s best to abstain: it’s not only a question of public health, but also a matter of protecting our environment.