Johnny Depp has joked he ''killed [his] dogs and ate them''.

The 'Black Mass' star, who came under fire from Australian officials earlier this year for bringing his pups Pistol and Boo into the country without permits, took a swipe at the country's Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce at a press conference in Venice, Italy, for his new movie.

Joyce accused Johnny and wife Amber Heard of importing the dogs illegally and threatened to have them put down in what became a sensitive diplomatic situation in May.

Quizzed by a journalist whether he had brought the dogs for a gondola ride in Venice, Johnny, 52, deadpanned: ''I killed my dogs and ate them, under direct orders of some kind of, I don't know, sweaty, big-gutted man from Australia.''

Johnny's wife Amber, 29, has been charged by a court in Queensland for allegedly smuggling the dogs into Australia on a private plane.

Amber has been charged with two counts of illegal importation and one count of producing a false document after breaking the country's quarantine laws. She now could face a fine of $200,000 or up to 10 years in prison.

The actress is due to appear in court this month.