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A vietnamese tourists has been banned from entering Australia for three years after border patrol found 22 pounds of food in her suitcase.
The 45-year-old woman arrived in Sydney on Saturday carrying pork that posed a risk of introducing the African swine flu to Australia.
The woman was flagged by border patrol and pulled aside for inspection after she didn't declare any banned items to customs.
Her suitcase reportedely contained around 11 pounds of raw and cooked pork. The other food items seized from her luggage were fruit, squid, eggs, pate and garlic.
She is the first tourist to have her visa canceled and be temporarily banned from the country over a breach of biosecurity laws.
The African swine flu is one of the most dangerous diseases for pigs and is estimated to have killed off over 60% of the total world population.
China has lost over 100 million pigs to the disease, crippling the worlds largest pork supplier.
Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie said in a statement earlier this month that “One quarter of the world's pigs will be dead by the end of this year from African swine fever which kills about 80% of the pigs it infects and there's no vaccine and no cure.”
The Australian border patrol is seizing over 100 kg of illegal pork every week after stepping up its inspection program according to McKenzie.
The African swine flu is not believed to be harmful to humans.
Cover Photo Courtesy of Australia Border Patrol
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