New Zealand granny fined US$1,995 for bringing chicken sandwich into Australia

Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to World News@lemmy.world – 247 points –
New Zealand granny fined US$1,995 for bringing chicken sandwich into Australia
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Who in their right mind would think they need to declare a sandwich?

The people who see the massive signs all the way through the arrival hall with pictures of stuff like sandwiches. Seriously, you can’t miss them

Never been in an aussie airport so I'll take your word for it. Still though having to declare a sandwich is beyond absurd. I get the reasoning for raw foodstuffs but a cooked chicken sandwich isn't carrying anything that granny couldn't also just be carrying in her body.

You might find it absurd, but it is quite common. The same rules about cooked food now apply, for example when travelling from the UK to France - that sandwich could have been seized when travelling into Europe - there were some travellers who were caught out travelling to France following Brexit. https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/animal-products-movements/personal-imports\_en

And the same in the US except with ever larger fines than AU https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/agricultural-items

The US only cares about uncooked food: meat, fruit, etc. I've personally declared Reese's peanut butter cups, as a joke. They look at you like this:

Uncooked foods, and more specifically things with seeds. A primary concern is about new species being introduced and becoming invasive.

.. and canned meat and soup, if you look at the regulations-particularly beef

And you are told in a dozen languages even before stepping out of the plane. But everyone in this thread who's never crossed a border think you can just go to other countries and do the fuck you want because they know better

Perhaps anyone listening to the plane announcements, looks at any one of the multitude of signs on arrival, or anyone (everyone) who fills out the incoming passenger card? It's not at all unclear what you have to do when you're there. They make it clear to declare everything at multiple points. There is no penalty for declaring something even if it's not allowed in.

On the first side of the incoming passenger card, half of it is taken up by the question:

Are you bringing into Australia:

[...]

  1. Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables?

  2. Grains, seeds, bulbs, straw, nuts, plants, parts of plants, traditional medicines or herbs, wooden articles?

  3. Animals, parts of animals, animal products including equipment, pet food, eggs, biologicals, specimens, birds, fish, insects, shells, bee products?

The tourists are all made of raw meat!

And the same applies! You have to be declared. If you try and smuggle a human in there's probably steep fines associated if you're caught.

Don't forget to declare your half-eaten bag of airplane peanuts as well.

You can either declare them or put them in the bio security bins in arrivals.