Spanish tourist fined and visa canceled after failing to declare pork and cheese at Perth airport

A Spanish traveler has become the first person to be fined under tightened biosecurity laws after failing to declare meat and cheese in his luggage.

The 20-year-old man had his visa revoked and was fined $3,300 for carrying more than a kilogram of undeclared raw pork and cheese.

The man was stopped at Perth Airport last Tuesday when 275g of non-commercial pork bacon, 665g of non-commercial pork and about 300g of goat’s cheese were undeclared in his luggage.

The Albanian government announced in October that it would increase fines for people caught with prohibited items to prevent diseases and pests from entering and establishing themselves in Australia.

Previously, the man’s visa would have been canceled and a $2664 fine imposed.

Travelers whose visas are canceled will be assigned the earliest available flight out of Australia and will have a three-year grace period before they can reapply.

A 20-year-old Spaniard had his visa revoked and was fined $3,300 for transporting more than a kilogram of raw pork and cheese to Australia without registering

Agriculture Secretary Murray Watt told AAP the new laws would not discourage travelers from coming to Australia.

“I think the overwhelming majority of tourists are doing the right thing and declaring biosecurity risk items upon arrival, and that’s exactly what this guy didn’t do,” he said.

“If he had declared these products, other actions would have been taken, but the problem was that he didn’t declare them.

“We are serious about keeping foot-and-mouth and other diseases out of the country and travelers need to keep this in mind when attempting to enter Australia.”

Senator Watt urged international travelers to carefully consider their passenger declarations and report any doubts.

Agriculture Secretary Murray Watt slammed the tourist for bringing the meat

It comes as the Department of Agriculture issued a warning ahead of the Lunar New Year beginning Sunday.

dr The department’s Chris Locke said New Year’s gifts, which are often food parcels, could be stopped at the border.

“Unfortunately, there are some traditional Lunar New Year gifts that could bring pests and diseases to Australia,” said Dr. curl.

“At the border we often see goods containing pork, fruit, plants, herbs and eggs. Items like these could pose a high risk of introducing pests and diseases.”

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Australia is estimated to have cost the economy more than $80 billion over 10 years.

Those who fail to declare biosecurity risk items at the border face fines of up to $5,500 and visa cancellation.