An 86 year old Narrogin Valley livestock producer has been fined $34,000 (suspended for 12 months) and ordered to pay $7,500 in legal costs, after pleading guilty to four counts of animal cruelty in the Narrogin Magistrates Court this week.
The Magistrate noted a relatively long suspension period was required to ensure the offender understood the seriousness of the offence and future compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 2002.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) undertook an investigation in 2021 in response to reports of poor animal welfare on the property.
Inspectors found about 60 recently deceased and dying sheep that were in a severely emaciated condition.
Live sheep were weak and minimally responsive to stimuli.
Laboratory analysis determined that the sheep were suffering from starvation.
DPIRD Director Regional Compliance Noel Chambers said livestock producers had an obligation to ensure proper and humane care and management of stock in all circumstances.
“While the department appreciates the challenges producers face, it is unacceptable to allow sheep to starve to death,” he said.
“Options can include feeding at the minimum requirements, finding agistment, destocking or as a last resort, humane euthanasia.”
Source: DPIRD. Anyone with information about the ill-treatment of animals should contact the RSPCA on 1300 278 358.
Anyone caught ill treating animals should face far harsher punishment. These animals cannot fend themselves, therefore are no different to children, the punishment should be the same.
If the law doesn’t take a proper stand against ill treatment, neglect or abuse, farmers and normal owners will feel the penalty is not too bad so they’ll cop it sweet. How do you train imbeciles not to do it again, punish them adequately.
This farmer starving his sheep should never never ever have sheep or any livestock what so ever near his so called farm again. Animals rely on their owner to be responsible in caring for them, this farmer is inhumane uncaring and should never have any animal to starve then again.
A very weak fine, should of been a more hefty infringement.
I do not stand ever for any animal abuse.
Farmer was far too old for this sort of work.
We all need to know when to step down.
The judge’s comment indicated this bloke is stubborn, rather than realistic and adaptable. Next time, give him a custodial sentence.
His poor sheep suffered and died horrible deaths, just because he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, save them.
I’m not in the least bit sorry for him.
The poor guy probably couldn’t care less being 86 years old and. Still struggling in the face of drought and high feed prices he had probably had enough
Now he has to also face a massive bill for his failings which is going to affect him mentally I guess right up to the day he dies
It would have been a lot kinde of the livestock.department to can their beauracy and just euthanise the sheep and let the old guy who has probably done this country a great service in the past live out the rest of his days in peace
But it guess rules are rules and the people in the department who sit in their air conditioned office behind their computers will be happy they’ve done their job no matter what the costl