Vietnamese woman failed to declare numerous raw animal products
A Vietnamese traveler was denied entry into Australia after she failed to declare raw pork, poultry and seafood products upon arrival in Sydney.
Australia has ramped up its biosecurity measures in recent weeks in an effort to keep African swine fever (ASF) from entering its borders. The deadly pig disease has not been detected in Australia, but has been reported as nearby as East Timor.
The traveler was detained on October 12 at the Sydney airport after it was discovered that she had 4.6 kilograms of pork and smaller amounts of quail, squid, pate, raw eggs and garlic in her luggage. The 45-year-old woman was ordered by immigration officials to return to Vietnam.
“In the midst of what is potentially the biggest animal disease event the world has seen, it beggars belief that someone would deliberately attempt to bring pork meat past our border,” Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie said in a statement.
She previously said Australia exports less than 10% of its pig meat by value, therefore, “Australian consumers would be hard hit should the unthinkable happen to our pork industry. We need everyone to take biosecurity seriously and make sure they don’t become a vector for a disease that could decimate our domestic pig industry and way of life by doing the right thing when bringing things into the country.”
Other travelers previously detained in Japan, Taiwan
In July, a Vietnamese traveler was arrested by Japanese authorities for illegally carrying pork products infected with the ASF virus into that country.
In that instance, Hac Thi Phuong Linh, 23, tried to bring 10 kilograms of pork rolls into Haneda International Airport without declaring them. Linh originally said the pork rolls were intended for personal consumption, but later admitted she planned to sell them. After testing, Japanese authorities said the pork rolls contained the ASF virus, and that this was the first time pork containing the virus was found in Japan.
In March, a Vietnamese traveler was fined for not declaring pork products when trying to enter Taiwan. The woman, who was carrying rice dumplings filled with pork, was the first Vietnamese citizen to be denied entry into Taiwan since authorities announced fines for travelers attempting to bring pork into the country.
View our continuing coverage of the African swine fever outbreak.