During a significant find in Sydney, biosecurity officers carried out one of Australia’s largest single biosecurity detections as part of Operation Avoca.
Seven cargo containers’ worth of goods, including turtle meat, frog meat, pork, beef, avian products, and raw prawns, were intercepted, yielding 116 different types of products weighing a total of around 38 tonnes.
The discovery, according to the Australian Government, has prevented severe threats to Australian biosecurity.
The Federal Government reported that the investigation is still underway, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry will continue to work with the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Border Force, and any other relevant government agencies throughout the next phase.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt stated that the operation demonstrated the Albanese Government’s commitment to keeping alien pests and illnesses out of Australia.
“This is a huge detection by Biosecurity Officers from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – we are talking about 38 tonnes of goods which could be carrying diseases that could have had catastrophic consequences to our agricultural sector,” Minister Watt said.
According to Minister Watt, the discovery is a reminder of the significance of protecting Australia’s biosecurity.
“Biosecurity is critical – our biosecurity officers are on the front line of defence, which is why we allocated $134 million in funding in the last budget to bolster Australia’s biosecurity system,” the Minister said.
