OH POOP One of the more unusual biosecurity finds

Posted on 02/11/2016 | About Auckland, New Zealand

Following a lengthy 11 hour flight from Malaysia to Auckland, New Zealand, a man headed for the 'something to declare' desk, and declared that he had “commercially packaged dung” in his luggage.

The feces was flown over to the country for a ritual burning ceremony at a Hindu temple in Otahuhu. Cow pats, which contain gas that is rich in methane, have been used in rural areas of India and Pakistan to light fires for centuries. New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said the discovery was one of the 'more unusual biosecurity finds so far this year'. Dave Sims, MPI's Auckland Airport manager, told the New Zealand Herald said, “Cows pats are now a commercial product. There's even a website selling them and some customers want gift wrapping. “In this case, the passenger did the right thing by declaring the cow pat.” Unfortunately for the traveller, however, Sims explained, “Cow pats are made by mixing fresh cow feces with hay. We can't permit them to enter New Zealand as they could contain unwanted seeds, parasites or even plant or animal diseases that could harm the livelihood of farmers and growers.”