A plane travellers who probably thought they were being a bit savvy ended up with a big bill after taking a McDonald's breakfast onto a plane. They came a cropper when they tried to enter their home country with the contraband.
The package of two egg and sausage McMuffins, hot cakes and a ham croissant was flagged up as the traveller entered Darwin Airport in Australia. According to local media, Zinta, a new 'detector dog', caught the would-be breakfast smugglers last week.
It ended up costing $2,664 (£1,531) after an infringement notice was issued and the food was seized. The meat products would be tested for foot and mouth disease (FMD) before they were destroyed, reports the Mirror.
According to 9 News reports, Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watts, said Australia was committed to staying “FMD-free”.
He said the parcel of food would be “the most expensive Macca's meal this passenger ever has”, costing twice the cost of an airfare to Bali.
"But I have no sympathy for people who choose to disobey Australia's strict biosecurity measures, and recent detections show you will be caught,” he added. "Australia is FMD-free, and we want it to stay that way.”
He said it was “excellent” to see Zinta was already contributing to keeping the country safe. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) was a highly-contagious virus that largely affected hooved animals.
An outbreak of the disease was currently spreading through Indonesia and Bali. If the virus reached Australian shores, it could cost as much as $80 billion over 10 years.
Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) said FMD can be carried in meat and dairy products. It was found in soil, bones, untreated hides, vehicles and equipment and could also survive in frozen, chilled and freeze-dried foods including meat and dairy products.
