Depp’s wife, Amber Heard, says the couple are not likely to return to the country after the Department of Agriculture threatened to have their terriers put down

Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are set to boycott Australia, after the row that saw them accused of illegally bringing two dogs into the country.

Speaking to Australia’s Sunrise TV show, Heard told a press conference: “I have a feeling we’re going to avoid the land down under from now on, just as much as we can, thanks to certain politicians there.”

Heard, who married Depp in 2015, was speaking to promote her new film Magic Mike XXL, which is due for release in early July. Her reference to “certain politicians” was undoubtedly aimed at Barnaby Joyce, Australia’s minister for agriculture, who was critical of Depp and Heard for bringing their two Yorkshire terriers into the country on a private jet while the former was filming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

“It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States,” Joyce said at the time. “He [Depp] can put them on the same chartered jet he flew out on to fly them back out of our nation.” The dogs left Australia shortly before the expiry of the deadline Joyce had set for them.

However, Heard accused Joyce of essentially being an attention seeker. “I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes, including some government officials.”