A Gippsland livestock agent and producer has been convicted and fined $20,300 for actions which had the potential to undermine Victoria's livestock traceability system, according to Agriculture Victoria.
Nathan Gibbon, an agent at Pakenham and director of Clayton Hill Pty Ltd, pleaded guilty to a number of charges at Latrobe Valley Online Magistrates' court on Wednesday last week.
The charges included the use of disbanded property identification codes, failing to properly record livestock movement information, not keeping copies of National Vendor Declarations and failing to produce documents.
The company, Clayton Hill Pty Ltd, was fined $1100 without conviction.
When handing down the sentence, Magistrate Belinda Wallington noted the offences were a systematic flouting of the system carried out in a deliberate and obvious way to increase profits.
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Gippsland producers Kristian Bingham, Warragul, and Peter Armstrong, Darnum, also pleaded guilty to charges relating to livestock traceability offences including misusing National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) ear tags.
Mr Armstrong was convicted and fined $6300 plus costs of $494, while Mr Bingham was fined $7000 without conviction plus costs of $198.
The Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association, Australian Meat Industry Council and Australian Livestock Exporters Council submitted statements which highlighted how the defendants' actions could cause ramifications across the entire livestock supply chain.
The NLIS is Australia's system for identifying and tracking cattle, buffalo and bison for disease control, food safety and market access purposes.
It uses an electronic ear tag or device, marking each animal with its own individual identification number.
It is vital the right NLIS tag is used, otherwise the correct breeding and life history of an animal will not be recorded.
Agriculture Victoria said all livestock movements must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation and meet the necessary NLIS requirements for monitoring and traceability to ensure food safety.
Agriculture Victoria animal health and welfare program manager Daniel Bode said the prompt detection of the offending and thorough investigation conducted by the department ensured potential risks to Victorian livestock and consumers were avoided.
Mr Bode said the outcome of the matters brought before the court served as a strong reminder the Victorian community takes biosecurity seriously.
"The vast majority of Victorian producers do an excellent job helping to ensure a strong biosecurity system is maintained," he said.
"A strong biosecurity system not only protects our agriculture sector, but also our environment, biodiversity, cultural heritage, economy and way of life."
