Tourists hit by fines in New Zealand

New Zealand Customs officers have fined 20 tourists on the first day of strict new border controls aimed at keeping agricultural diseases out of the country.

The 200 New Zealand dollars (£61) on-the-spot fines are imposed on people caught trying to carry items like undeclared fruits, plants, meat or other farm products into the country.

The tough policy is designed to reduce the threat of diseases such as foot-and-mouth, plus unwelcome plants and insects, being introduced into New Zealand.

Ministry of Agriculture official Frank Sheehan said that among those fined were a person from Britain who was caught carrying fruit, and visitors from Denmark carrying flower bulbs.

‘‘We also stopped a couple this morning from America who were carrying some sausages. The couple just whipped out their credit card,’’ he said.

The tightened security followed the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain.

New Zealand now screens ‘‘100% of mail, baggage and passengers,’’ biosecurity minister Jim Sutton said.

The ministry expects to collect about two million New Zealand dollars (£617,000) from instant fines in the first year, Sheehan said.