Passenger fined £1,500 after sneaking McMuffins into Australian airport in their backpack
An aeroplane passenger may have paid for the most expensive McDonald's breakfast ever, and they didn’t even get to eat it.
The unidentified traveller was handed a fine of 2,664 Australian dollars (£1,510), after they snuck two egg and beef sausage McMuffins and a ham croissant into their luggage and boarded a flight to Australia last week.
An airport dog sniffed out the undeclared food after the passenger touched down at Darwin Airport from Bali, days after Australian authorities introduced strict new biosecurity measures in response to a a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in Indonesia.
Bali is a popular destination for Australian holidaymakers.
The contraband was detected by Darwin airport's new biosecurity detector dog, a black Labrador named Zinta.
And the passenger didn't even get to eat their meal, as the department confirmed the seized products would be tested for FMD before being destroyed.
“This will be the most expensive Maccas meal this passenger ever has," Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said.
He added the fine the traveller had received was "twice the cost of an airfare to Bali."
"I have no sympathy for people who choose to disobey Australia’s strict biosecurity measures, and recent detections show you will be caught,” Minister Watt said.
“Australia is FMD-free, and we want it to stay that way.
“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.”
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FMD is an acute, highly contagious viral disease of cloven-footed animals that is sometimes transmitted to humans.
Though it is harmless to humans, it causes painful lesions on the mouths and feet of animals including cows, sheep and pigs, preventing them from eating, and can cause lameness and even death.
It has been spreading rapidly across Indonesia, which had been outbreak-free for 32 years, before an infection reportedly spread by imported cattle from India.
As a result, in July, Australia announced stricter rules for travellers arriving from Indonesia.
Experts estimate an outbreak of FMD in Australia could bring about an economic hit of up to £65 billion, in part due to the devastating effect it could have on farming, as it could lead to culls of infected animals.
"The impacts on farmers if foot and mouth gets in are too gut-wrenching to even contemplate," Fiona Simson, president of the National Farmers' Federation, told CNN last month.