The Ministry of Health is discouraging human consumption of mongoose meat following reports that the rodent is being consumed in some parishes.

Dr Linnette Peters, the head of veterinary public health in the ministry, recently issued a public warning during a television interview, that people who eat this meat do so at their own risk.

Neville Graham, director of communications in the ministry, explained that, "Dr Peters issued an advisory that we want to be careful about eating mongoose meat because we don't have any testing regime for it. It is not one of the meats that we test, therefore we run the risk of contracting any pathogens that may be transferred".

There have been reports of the consumption of the meat in St Thomas, Portland and Manchester.