A passenger was fined AUD 2,664 ($1,846) upon arriving in Australia after it was found the traveler possessed a leftover McMeal.
The meal was detected by a newly trained biosecurity detector dog named Zinta, which landed the air traveler a hefty fine.
Flying from Bali to a northern Australian city, a not-yet-identified air passenger was caught with two eggs and beef sausage McMuffins and a ham croissant last week.
Upon arriving, Zinta sniffed meat from the passenger. The food items were going to be tested before getting destroyed to check for foot and mouth disease (FMD).
“This will be the most expensive [McDonald’s] meal this passenger ever has, this fine is 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,” Murray Watt, the Australian minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said in a press release.
“Biosecurity is no joke—it helps protect jobs, our farms, food and supports the economy,” Watt said in the press release. “Passengers who choose to travel need to make sure they are fulfilling the conditions to enter Australia, by following all biosecurity measures.”
Currently, Australia has a strict policy on the importation of food items from different countries due to the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The disease is Australia’s one of the greatest biosecurity risks and could impact the country’s livestock product export markets.