US Customs destroy cow dung cakes found in baggage of Indian passenger

Washington - Cow dung cakes are prohibited in US as they are considered to be carriers of foot and mouth disease.

The US Customs and Border Protection agents discovered cow dung cakes in a leftover baggage of a passenger from India at an international airport in the suburb of Washington DC, according to officials.

Cow dung cakes are prohibited in the US as they are considered to be potential carriers of the highly contagious foot and mouth disease.

They were destroyed, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Monday.

“That is not a typo. CBP agriculture specialists found two cow dung cakes in a suitcase that was left behind after passengers from an Air India flight cleared CBP’s inspection station on April 4,” a media release said on Monday.

“Foot and Mouth Disease is one of the animal diseases that livestock owners dread most, has grave economic consequences, and it is a critical threat focus of Customs and Border Protection’s agriculture protection mission,” said Keith Fleming, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office.