Due to the strict new quarantine laws intended to keep Australia free of African Swine Fever (ASF), a woman from Vietnam who was carrying 4.5 kilos of pork and other undeclared foods was sent back home. The passenger has breached Australia’s biosecurity rules which leads her visa to be cancelled and be banned in coming to Australia for three years.

Earlier this year Australia implemented changes to immigration legislation so that international visitors who bring in undeclared high-risk items, like pork from African Swine Fever affected countries, can be sent back home and can be refused to enter Australia and have their visas canceled for up to three years.

The Agriculture Minister, Bridger McKenzie, says the cancellation showed that Australia would not tolerate people putting their environment, industries, economy and way of life at risk.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs which was established in Asia and parts of Europe and still continues to spread. The ASF has no vaccines and can kill 80% of the pigs it infects. McKenzie says that there were 2,700 pig producers in Australia and nearly 36,000 people employed in the local industry. Thus, they have heightened the biosecurity in all international airports to ensure that pig-killing disease will not reach onshore and affect the country’s agricultural industry.

Photo: Australian Department of Agriculture