Wedge-tailed eagle deaths: East Gippsland man convicted, fined $25000
A land owner has been convicted and fined for his involvement in the poisoning of more than a hundred Wedge-tailed eagles in East Gippsland. Warning: Graphic images
A LAND owner has been fined $25,000 after being convicted for his involvement in the poisoning of more than a hundred Wedge-tailed eagles.
The land owner, from East Gippsland, pleaded guilty to six charges in Bairnsdale Magistrates’ Court over the misuse of agriculture chemicals which killed 134 Wedge-tailed eagles on his properties between June 2017 and April last year.
He fined $25,000, which will be given to local wildlife groups and pay $3870 in costs to Agriculture Victoria, who investigated the matter.
The man was also ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid community service work as part of a 12-month Community Corrections Order.
Agriculture Victoria said the Magistrate described the offending as “calculated, unacceptable and disgraceful behaviour”.
A farm manager of the farm owner’s property was convicted in September last year for his involvement in the eagles’ deaths, following an investigation by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
He was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment and was fined $2500.
The Agriculture Victoria investigation found that the land owner and farm manager were involved in the baiting of Wedge-tailed eagles using sheep carcasses laced with an insecticide from June 2017 to May last year.
The land owner was also charged with involvement in the commission of an offence by the farm manager relating to his use of a Schedule 7 poison without appropriate authorisation.
“It is an offence for a person to use any Schedule 7 poison without appropriate authorisation, such as an Agricultural Chemical User Permit,” Agriculture Victoria leading chemical standards officer Natalie Myring said.
MORE: NUMBER OF GIPPSLAND EAGLE DEATHS SOARS
EAGLES POISONED IN EAST GIPPSLAND
During the investigation, noncompliance with storage and disposal requirements of 1080 pest animal bait products was also identified.
However these offences are not linked to the death of the Wedge-tailed eagles.
“In this case the land owner stored the 1080 baits in an insecure location that was accessible to unauthorised persons,” Ms Myring said.
“The baits were also retained beyond the required disposal time frame.”
In August, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning began investigating another mass-kill of Wedge-tailed eagles after more than 150 protected native birds were found dead at a property near Violet Town.
An agricultural chemical, which is registered for the control of mites, was detected in six Wedge-tailed eagle carcasses sent off for testing.
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