Escargot in cargo: Invasive giant African snails detected more than 28 times at borders

Australian biosecurity officers are alarmed by an increase in invasive 20-centimetre-long snails intercepted at the border checkpoints.

The giant African snail is one of the world’s worst invasive pests and was detected 28 times last year and three times in the past month at different locations across the country.

Australia’s Chief Plant Protection Officer, Gabrielle Vivian-Smith, said the snails were hitching rides mostly on cargo ships arriving from Asia and the Pacific.

“The increased interceptions suggest the pest pressure at our border is greater,” she said.

Voracious appetite for plants

The giant snails are infrequently detected on cargo containers…