Illegal garlic imports putting Australia’s bio-security at risk have resulted in an 11-month jail sentence for a Tasmanian farmer.
The former chairperson of the Australian Garlic Industry Association imported almost 2200 garlic bulbs from the United States and Canada.
These garlic varieties were potential carriers of Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium which is considered the biggest threat to international plant biosecurity.
She made 21 separate garlic imports over an 18-month period. One import shipment was intercepted and destroyed by officials in October 2015.
