Spanish Man Fined and Banned From Australia for Bringing Undeclared Meat and Cheese

Arriving passengers at the Qantas Domestic terminal in Perth, Australia on Feb. 5, 2022. Paul Kane/Getty Images

A 20-year-old Spanish traveller has copped a $3,300 (USD$2,305) fine and had his visa cancelled—one of Australia’s toughest biosecurity infringements to date—after being caught bringing undeclared raw meat and cheese into Australia.

The man became the first person to receive this tough of a fine for bringing a kilogram of raw pork meat and cheese in his luggage without declaring it. Previously, the same infringement was $2,664.

Starting Jan. 1, the government introduced increased infringement amounts for people caught with banned items in order to protect Australian agriculture from foot and mouth disease.

Murray Watt, minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, said that the tougher punishments introduced on Jan. 1 were designed to send a strong signal to travellers considering breaking Australia’s strict biosecurity laws.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt speaks during a press conference in Brisbane, Australia on July 22, 2022. Dan Peled/Getty Images

“I hope this man regrets his actions—his visit to Australia was over before it even began, and he’s been sent packing with a hefty fine,” Minister Watt said in a statement on Jan. 16.

Australian Border Force officers stopped the man in the city of Perth in Western Australia last Tuesday and discovered 665 grams of non-commercial pork meat, 275 grams of non-commercial pork pancetta, and 300 grams of goat cheese in his luggage.

The undeclared raw pork meat and cheese in the Spanish man's baggage. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

People with cancelled visas are removed from Australia on the next available flight and can be prohibited from reapplying for a visa for up to three years.

“We are serious about keeping foot and mouth and other diseases out of the country, and travellers need to remember that when they’re trying to enter Australia,” Watt said.

“This was a serious breach of Australia’s biosecurity laws and could put Australia’s agricultural industries at risk, as well as our environment and international trade reputation.”

Increasingly Harsher Penalties

Since Jan. 1, 2021, till now, penalties for travellers who fail to declare banned goods have increased from $444 to $3,300.

Last October, another man similarly attempted to enter Perth with six kilograms of meat, including duck, beef rendang, frozen beef, and chicken, without declaring the produce.

Following the discovery, he was fined $2,664 and has since been deported.

A worker sprays disinfectant around livestock to protect against foot-and-mouth disease in Lambaro, Indonesia, on May 19, 2022. Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Images

The Australian Labor government announced last October it would increase the infringement amounts again for people bringing meat into Australia from countries dealing with highly contagious foot and mouth disease.

“I’d encourage all international passengers to think carefully about their passenger declarations, and if in doubt, just declare it,” Watt said.