Aus Dairy Farmers: Victoria needs to catch up on farm trespass laws

Queensland and NSW have already taken action against activists and Victoria needs to do the same, says Australian Dairy Farmers.

Animal activists stealing livestock post pictures on social media. Picture: Instagram

VICTORIA needs on-the-spot fines and a database to publicly identify animal activists guilty of farm trespass, Australia’s peak dairy farmer group says.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson told The Weekly Times Queensland and NSW — which introduced on-the-spot fines this year — had already taken action against activists and Victoria needed to do the same.

“The culprit who stole the Gippy Goat was only fined $1 for a biosecurity breach,” Mr Richardson said.

“That’s not going to stop other activists from committing similar crimes. As a punishment, it just doesn’t cut it.”

In a submission to the Victorian inquiry into the impact of animal activists on agriculture, Australian Dairy Farmers called for fines of up to $12,000 for farm trespass, with some or all of it being handed down on the spot.

“This locks in a minimum penalty to protect against the imposition of grossly inadequate sentences being handed down by the courts,” it said.

The current maximum penalty for trespass in Victoria is $4130.50 or six months jail, but The Weekly Times has revealed a number of activists have been granted good behaviour bonds.

Mr Richardson said ADF made a submission to the inquiry because of the potential for the outcomes to be viewed by other state governments.

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The submission said a public database naming criminal activists “would help farmers and businesses with their recruitment and purchasing decisions in the future”.

It also called on the Victorian Government to provide appropriate police support to ensure crimes were “adequately investigated and prosecuted” under new federal laws now before Parliament, which make it a criminal offence to use a carriage service, such as the internet, to incite trespass.

Meanwhile, a central Victorian farmer and former police officer, who did not want to be named out of fear of being targeted, told the inquiry, in a confidential submission seen by The Weekly Times,Victoria Police “fail” with farm-related crime.

The farmer, who served as a police officer for many years including time as a member of a specialist rural squad, said he didn’t “blame country police for not knowing a lot about the primary production industry”.

“(These offences) require specialised investigators with huge knowledge,” he said.

He requested the state introduce aggravated trespass laws, “where the fear experienced by people is a major element of the offence” and repeat offenders face mandatory imprisonment.

“If people were doing this to politicians’ homes and businesses we’d get the law changed overnight,” he said.