Ghost, a diligent biosecurity detector dog

From cover page

An international student faced a signifcant setback upon arrival at Adelaide Airport this week, as their visa was abruptly cancelled, and they were slapped with a hefty infringement notice of $3,756. Their offense? Attempting to sneak in more than 2kg of cooked meat, eggs, and frangipani fowers into Australia.

The student’s illicit cargo was swiftly detected by the sharp senses of Ghost, a diligent biosecurity detector dog, who expertly sniffed out the prohibited items at the airport’s baggage claim area. Working alongside his handler, Rebecca, Ghost’s keen nose led to the discovery of 2.7kg of cooked meat, suspected to be pork, along with 301g of cooked egg, and 6 fresh frangipani fowers. None of these items had been declared by the traveller on their Incoming Passenger Card.

The severity of the situation escalated when the passenger was referred to the Australian Border Force, which upheld the recommendation of biosecurity offcers to cancel the student’s visa.

Deputy Secretary of Biosecurity and Compliance, Tina Hutchison, emphasized the importance of travellers adhering to biosecurity regulations by declaring all food, animals, plants, and seeds on their Incoming Passenger Card.

Hutchison reiterated that transparency is detector dog teams in safeguarding Australia’s the country in his frst year alone. Funded through an $11.7 million biosecurity risk items, including over 19,000 at Adelaide Airport alone. his unwavering dedication to his duty and the critical role he plays in safeguarding Australia’s borders.

Fast Facts: o 18 of the 20 detector dog handlers for the program have been recruited. key, urging travellers to truthfully declare all items to biosecurity agricultural industries, food supply chain, environment, and way investment, Ghost is one of 11 detector dogs currently in operation,

• Ghost is a 2.5-year-old male labrador who graduated his biosecurity detector dog training in November 2022.

• Ghost is one of the 11 detector dogs currently in operation that have been funded through the government’s $11.7 million Detector Dog Capability Increase budget measure.

• All 20 additional detector dogs that were funded through the budget measure will be delivered before the end of 2024.

Ghost’s exemplary performance underscores the invaluable offcers upon arrival.

Hutchison reassured travellers that honesty during declaration would not result in penalties under the Biosecurity Act 2015, highlighting the vital role of frontline biosecurity offcers and of life.

Ghost, a 2.5-year-old male Labrador, is a testament to the success of Australia’s detector dog program, having stopped nearly 400 biosecurity risk items from entering with plans for 20 additional dogs to be deployed by the end of 2024.

In 2023, biosecurity offcers across Australia’s international airports intercepted nearly 400,000 contribution of detector dogs in preserving Australia’s biosecurity. Ghost’s remarkable achievements include intercepting various prohibited items such as sausages, guava, and pork foss, demonstrating o Of those, 6 handlers have fnished their training and been deployed and the other 12 are undergoing or about to commence their training.

• In his frst year of deployment, Ghost intercepted 194 travellers and mail articles entering Australia, totalling 381 biosecurity risk items seized. This includes: o 111 animal products o 104 fruit products o 62 plant products o 38 vegetable products o 66 other products

• Some examples of items Ghost has intercepted include sausages, guava and pork foss.