The unnamed traveler was fined $1,874 after security staff found two egg sandwiches and beef sausages in his luggage while he was checking in at Darwin Airport in northern Australia, CNN reported.
The incident occurred just days after Australian authorities introduced strict food safety regulations due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Indonesia. Bali, a famous tourist destination in the archipelago, has also recorded many cases of the disease. Accordingly, the tourist paradise of Bali is a place where many tourists from Australia gather.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry told CNN that the passenger's luggage contained a series of undeclared products with high risk of transmitting diseases, including fast food. These items were detected by airport sniffer dogs.
"This may be the most expensive breakfast this passenger has ever paid. The fine is more than double the cost of a plane ticket from Bali to Australia. However, this is necessary to protect public health," Mr. Murray Watt, Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said in a statement.
Accordingly, the statement confirmed that the passenger had brought 12 items with high risk of spreading the disease. These products were all recalled and quarantined before being destroyed.
“Australia is currently FMD-free and we are trying to control the situation as closely as possible,” Mr. Murray Watt said.
In July, Australia’s federal executive government announced a $9.8 million biosecurity package that will see new measures implemented across the country’s borders.
International airports such as Darwin and Cairns are equipped with sanitary doormats and sniffer dogs. In addition, travelers from the outbreak in Indonesia entering Australia will be monitored and checked more strictly than other passengers to ensure safety, Australia's Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry stressed. Experts estimate that an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Australia could cause economic damage of up to 80 billion USD to this country.
