Donating Food to Customs Officers

[Sabbatical II]

As someone planning to throw off the docklines, I have many questions and thankfully on this forum I find a wide range of answers.

To my current question. It seems from my reading that many countries, particularly my own, will confiscate much of your food supplies as you enter their country. I can see their reasoning for this but on an ocean passage I would think it wise to considerably over-provision in case you were delayed en route. Does this result in just donating to customs when you arrive at the next country and then having to stock up immeadiately?

If this is an issue, how do you manage it without considerable wastage?

Greg

[maxingout]

On our circumnavigation, the only time we have given food to the authorities is in Australia and New Zealand. They walk away from the boat with their black garbage bag of food which is supposed to be incinerated. They are very strict about this. One of our friends had meat packed and frozen at a supermarket in Whangarei, New Zealand, and then the took the meat with them to Fiji. When they returned from Fiji, they still had some of the same meet in original packaging from New Zealand, and still the New Zealand authorities confiscated it. They don't take any chances.

Every other place that we sailed to was not interested in the food that we had on board.

[Pelagic]

As Dave said, it is the quarantine officers of developed countries who will be picky.

You can do a search to find out the specific restrictions of food items and either cook up those ingredients before arrival or toss them overboard as I have actually been charged for quarantine disposal

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

As Dave said, it is the quarantine officers of developed countries who will be picky.

You can do a search to find out the specific restrictions of food items and either cook up those ingredients before arrival or toss them overboard as I have actually been charged for quarantine disposal

Too right, Mate! As of now, the fee charged by AQIS (Quarantine) for a yacht to clear into Oz is a cool $330 during M-F working hours, and $660 for other times. Rumor has it that this rapacious fee is about to be raised yet again. And yes, they confiscate a lot of foods, and the rules change frequently so that planning ahead is not easy.

We enjoy our times in Oz, but I'm beginning to think of other venues for cyclone season.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Manly Qld Oz

[donradcliffe]

The problem with Oz and NZ and their wacko food confiscation is that some of the south pacific islands like Vanuatu are imitating them. At least they don't charge a fortune for stealing your food.

Then there was the customs man in Tonga who took one of three tomatoes, two of six eggs, one clove of garlic--I think his wife had a shopping list.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

.....the rules change frequently so that planning ahead is not easy.

This is a fairly good guideline
DPIW - What You Can & Can't Bring into Tasmania

But you are right, it changes so wise to get updates
DPIW - Quarantine Contacts

They now call it "Biosecurity"

[Uncle Bob]

http://www.aqis.gov.au
For import conditions of food and produce into Australia the above link should take you to a point where you can look up any product on the database known as ICON. This is the website of AQIS and can supply a wealth of information.
Hope this helps those coming to our shores. Rob.[/QUOTE]
Sorry about that, the link looks better now. Cheers

[fishwife]

To cope with the need to have reserve food, if you have the space, carry a weeks supply of canned goods.

P.