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Thursday, 04 October 2018 11:29

Soft border?

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A mate of the Hound who recently travelled to Ireland found that country’s airport biosecurity rather lax.

On the flight’s approach to Dublin came a request that passengers involved in agriculture should make themselves known to the Department of Agriculture. This old mutt’s honest mate, after passing the immigration check and collecting his bags, asked an Irish customs official who he should speak to about biosecurity. “What’s biosecurity? I’m looking after border security,” was the reply. Our Kiwi traveller said he was off a farm in NZ, with the potential for disease, etc. “Aw, that’ll be the Department of Agriculture you’ll be wantin’… over there to the right. But I don’t fancy your chances, there’s never anyone there.” Sure enough, no one there; he waited a few minutes but still no one appeared, so our traveller just wandered off.

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