Reoffending dairy farmer convicted of animal cruelty

A reoffending dairy farmer has been convicted of animal cruelty again but has been granted bail after appealing his sentence, which included time behind bars.

A VICTORIAN dairy farmer has been sentenced to imprisonment, fined and banned from owning farm animals for ten years after being convicted of animal cruelty offences.

But he has appealed the sentence and been granted bail.

John Hall, from Cooma in northern Victoria, was convicted in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court last week of four counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal and one charge for failing to comply with a notice under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which was handed down after a previous conviction.

He was sentenced to imprisonment for two months and 25 days, and was fined $10,000 for failing to comply with the notice. He was also disqualified for owning farm animals for 10 years.

Agriculture Victoria animal health and welfare compliance manager Daniel Bode said the farmer had previously received a $50,000 fine and was under a conditional disqualification order for five years for similar offences in 2016.

He said the cows were not provided with appropriate nourishment or treatment during the period of offending.

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“Apart from the obvious pain and suffering of the animals, animal welfare breaches can jeopardise Victoria’s reputation on international livestock markets, which can affect all farmers,” Mr Bode said.

“This case serves as a powerful reminder that it is an offence for livestock owners to fail to provide for their livestock’s health and welfare.”

Agriculture Victoria advises farmers who are struggling with management decisions or feed budgeting to contact a local Agriculture Victoria office.