NO BUN ZONE: Flyer who did not declare McDonald's meal fined $1.8K after K-9 sniffs out bag
A passenger who was flying from Bali, Indonesia, to northern Australia has been fined a huge sum of $1,874 after a police dog, Zinta sniffed his bag and found two McMuffins and a ham croissant. The passenger, whose identity has not been revealed, didn't declare the McDonald’s breakfast order before arriving at Darwin Airport in the country’s Northern Territory last week.
The incident came after a few days of Australian authorities bringing in rigorous new biosecurity rules after a Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in Indonesia spread to Bali, a popular destination for Australian tourists.
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Murray Watt, Australia’s minister for agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, said on Monday, August 1, 2022, in a statement, “This will be the most expensive Maccas meal this passenger ever has.” Watt further added, “This fine is twice the cost of an airfare to Bali, but I have no sympathy for people who choose to disobey Australia’s strict biosecurity measures, and recent detections show you will be caught.” "The passenger was issued a 12-unit infringement notice for failing to declare potential high biosecurity risk items and providing a false and misleading document," stated the press statement.
The statement further explained, "a range of undeclared risk products," including the fast food items, were detected in the passenger's rucksack by a biosecurity detector dog named Zinta." It also stated, "Biosecurity is no joke—it helps protect jobs, our farms, food and supports the economy. Passengers who choose to travel need to make sure they are fulfilling the conditions to enter Australia, by following all biosecurity measures.”
The K-9 dog named, Zinta has been specially trained as part of the Australian government’s new rules implementation. The minister said, “Zinta was placed at Darwin Airport as part of the Albanese Government’s tough new biosecurity defenses, and it’s excellent to see she is already contributing to keeping the country safe.”
Regulations to curb foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
According to an ABC report, Aussie officials are highly concerned about flights from Indonesia, where cattle are experiencing a foot and mouth disease outbreak. Experts say an outbreak down under could cost the entire economy. “Australia is FMD-free, and we want it to stay that way.” The first foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case, since Indonesia was declared FMD-free in 1986, was reported in East Java in May 2022. As of July 26, it has spread to 22 provinces, including Bali, a hotspot for Australian tourists. It has become a concern for the Australian authorities which have been bringing strict rules to curb the concerns of the diseases in the country.
Last month the Albanese Government announced a new $14 million biosecurity package to deliver more frontline defenses in mail centers and airports. The government has also rolled out biosecurity dogs at Darwin and Cairns airports, sanitation foot mats at all international airports, along with support on the ground for Indonesia and neighboring countries and Zinta was one among these smart dogs.
