A tourist has been banned from entering Australia after the airport agents discovered 4.

6 kilograms of raw pork packed in her baggage.

According to the reports, the 45-year-old woman from Vietnam was traveling to Sydney’s International Airport when she was turned around under new, strict bio-security regulations.

In order to protect the country’s $5.3 billion pork industry amid fears that African swine fever would make its way into the country, the Vietnamese woman was the first one to be banned from entering Australia because of possession of raw meat.

As the authorities revealed, the rate of contaminated pork seized at Australia’s airports jumped from 15 to a staggering 50 % in recent months.

African swine fever, which is caused by a virus that affects and kills pigs, has spread rapidly after the outbreak in China last year.

While the persistent virus only affects pigs and is not a direct threat to humans, the swine fever poses a great danger to the pork industry and thousands of farmers.

“My job is to protect our farm industries and the hundreds of thousands of jobs they provide,” Agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie expressed as she claimed that protecting the meat industry and people dependent on it was one of the government’s top priorities.

“Globally we’re known for our safe and clean food and fiber and without that reputation we lose our competitive advantage.”

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