Honey detected at Sydney Airport
Border finds: a jar of honey gets our biosecurity officers buzzing
When biosecurity officers examined the jar, it was found to contain more bee and comb debris than actual honey.
Biosecurity officers at Sydney Airport were recently confronted with an unusual find when they inspected the luggage of a passenger returning from Iraq.
While overseas, the passenger had purchased a jar of local honey, which they declared to the biosecurity officers upon arrival. When it came time to inspect the contents of the jar itself though, the officers got an unexpected surprise.
After examining the jar, the officers discovered that the contents contained far more bee and comb debris than actual honey. The officers explained the biosecurity risks that were associated with the materials contaminating the honey to the passenger, who then surrendered the item for destruction.
Exotic honey bee material, such as comb debris, has the potential to introduce pests and diseases into Australia that could harm our local honey and other agricultural industries, as well as our natural environment.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.