Quarantine fines up more than fourfold in four years

Quarantine officer Charles Frazer next to a biosecurity sign. Photo / Paul Taylor

Quarantine officers at Queenstown Airport issued fines worth more than $250,000 in the last financial year.

That is up a whopping 487% on four years ago.

Last year 669 fines were issued, compared with just 114 in 2011-12.

They are not trying to catch people out; quite the opposite.

The biosecurity controlled area between Customs and the exit is plastered with pictures showing what is prohibited and dotted with amnesty bins.

The arrivals card, a legally binding document, details what should be declared.

Still, there is often a disconnect between the brain and the bag.

Apples, honey, bananas and cooked meat were the most common items found by X-ray machines and detector dogs, but redback spiders and cows' teeth have been discovered.

Quarantine officer Charles Frazer said staff gave people every chance to declare but "often they rush filling out the card".

"Biosecurity can be an odd concept for people from countries that don't have it.

"Sometimes it's just forgetfulness. We get a lot of Australians travelling with families, which can be quite stressful."

The Ministry for Primary Industries has 17 staff members at the airport, and two beagles, Sam and Zeta.

They process up to 12 international flights a day from Australia - a potential 2160 passengers.

Fruit susceptible to fruit fly accounted for more than 1200 of the seizures, both declared and non-declared, including 470 apples and 214 bananas.

MPI spent almost $14million on an eradication programme after a fruit fly was found in Auckland last year.

Honey is the most confiscated animal product, with almost 500 seizures.

Fruit and vegetables, meat products, eggs, seeds, flowers, and live animals such as birds, reptiles and snakes, are all prohibited.

Hearing excuses is part of the job.

"People saying it's packaged so should be fine, it's Australian so should be fine, or it's off the plane so should be fine. They're still Australian goods, so that catches a few people out," Mr Frazer said.

Unusual items include a "lucky" cow's tooth found in a Chinese lady's handbag and redback spiders found in a pushchair.

Assistant chief quarantine officer Deanna McKay said her dog Sam was very interested in the spiders.

"We removed them, then cleaned the item to make sure there were no eggs. Live insects get sent away for identification."

Australians copped more fines than any other nationality,

almost 200 last year.

That is twice as many as the United States in second. Chinese nationals, often on tour groups transiting through Australia, were third, with 83 fined.