A 20-year-old Spaniard is the first person to have his visa withdrawn by the Australian government for entering the country with undeclared “risk items” after a new rule came into effect on January 1. Biosecurity to prevent entry of diseases and pests into the country.
The Spaniard has become the first person to have his travel visa revoked and fined 3,300 Australian dollars (2,124 euros) for violating the measure, according to a statement from the Australian Ministry of Agriculture.
Specifically, the young man would carry a kilo of raw pork in his suitcase without announcing it, which included two packages of ham, a package of chorizo, and another loin. In addition, he also traveled with a piece of cheese.
The Australian executive wrote in its letter, “The Albanian government’s (Prime Minister Anthony) harshest penalties for travelers not declaring biosecurity risk items have come into force and a foreign traveler is already paying the price. ”
In this sense, he recalled that travelers who try to enter the country in 2023 with banned food products “will be hit by the most severe biosecurity violations the country has ever seen.”
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Murray Watt has assured it is “a strong reminder” that travelers will be caught and punished for breaching “Australia’s strict biosecurity laws”.
The Agriculture Minister said, “I hope this man will repent of his actions: his trip to Australia ended before it had even begun and he was sent back with a heavy fine.”
“We are serious about keeping foot-and-mouth disease and other diseases out of the country, and travelers should remember that when trying to enter Australia,” he said, noting that such actions could be a major threat to the country. could “put at risk” the U.S. agricultural industries.
The young Spaniard’s penalty comes after the Australian government announced last October that it would increase fines for those caught with “prohibited items”, in a bid to prevent diseases and pests from entering the country and spreading Could.
