An inter-departmental ministerial body on biodiversity issues has commissioned a study into the importance of bush meat to poverty alleviation and biodiversity loss. It is expected to report in the new year.
DEFRA is funding the Bushmeat Working Group which considers strategies for a sustainable bush meat trade. Moreover, a number of agencies, Government Departments and local authorities are working together and sharing information to tackle meat crime in a co-ordinated manner. The Government have put £25 million into tackling illegal imports of animal products, following the foot and mouth outbreak, which will help counter illegal bush meat imports.
However, it must be stressed that there is a limit to what the Government can do in terms of tackling the trade in bush meat. We cannot intervene directly in sovereign matters of other countries, and bush meat has been a legitimate and acceptable food source in many countries for generations.