Yulecart farmer Michael Gaussen fined $4000 for animal cruelty

A farmer from Yulecart in the Western District has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges. It is is the third animal cruelty case to be recently finalised in the courts.

Another Victorian farmer has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges with a Western District man punished in the Hamilton Magistrates’ Court.

Yulecart farmer Michael Gaussen was fined $4000 without conviction and ordered to pay service costs of $148.80 after pleading guilty to animal cruelty and aggravated cruelty to his sheep.

The court heard early last year Agriculture Victoria authorised officers attended Gaussen’s property at Yulecart after a complaint about the welfare of his sheep.

Upon inspection officers found a flock of about 50 mature sheep with a number of deceased sheep.

Three live sheep were identified as being severely fly-struck, with 20-40 per cent of their bodies affected.

Officers also concluded three recently deceased sheep were extensively fly-struck at their time of death and had died from the untreated flystrike.

The court heard, on the day the Agriculture Victoria authorised officers arrived at Gaussen’s property he said he was aware of the fly-struck sheep for a few weeks but had taken no action to treat.

Officers issued two Notices to Comply, requiring Gaussen to treat the fly-struck sheep and to shear and-or crutch the entire flock. Gaussen complied with these notices.

Recently a former Horsham mayor pleaded guilty to a series of animal cruelty charges that led to a costs fine and a two-year good behaviour bond after his sheep were trapped and died in mud.

And a Vermont South resident was also fined $25,000 and received a conditional disqualification order on livestock for a period of five years after being convicted of animal cruelty charges recently

The three separate matters refer to incidents which occurred over the past four years, but have all been finalised in the courts in the past month.

Agriculture Victoria animal health and welfare compliance manager Daniel Bode said in addition to the animals’ pain and suffering, animal welfare breaches could jeopardise Victoria’s agricultural reputation.

“This is a reminder to all livestock producers that animal cruelty will not be tolerated by the Victorian Government or the community,” Mr Bode said.

“If you are responsible for the care of any animal, you have a duty to provide for that animal including ensuring disease or parasites are treated appropriately.”