An farmer from Avenel has been fined $40,000 after pleading guilty to 34 charges of animal cruelty.
Jason Chapman was in the Shepparton Magistrates' Court and had been charged regarding a failure to provide supervision and providing sufficient feed to about 1,500 sheep.
The court imposed a conditional order on Mr Chapman with monitoring for the next three years.
A member of the public made a complaint to Agriculture Victoria regarding the property, with officers visiting the property in early June 2019.
The officers found many dead sheep on that first visit, most of who were pregnant or had recently lambed.
They then attended on five further occasions and issued several notices to comply.
During those visits, 25 sheep had to be euthanised to prevent further pain and suffering.
They also found 236 dead sheep during that period as well.
Agriculture Victoria Compliance Manager Daniel Bode said despite the many visits, Mr Chapman's didn't comply sufficiently with the many notices handed to him.
"A significant number of sheep died and experienced pain and suffering," he said.
"Apart from the obvious pain and suffering of the animals, animal welfare breaches can jeopardise Victoria's reputation as a humane and responsible food producer, affecting all producers.
"This reminds all livestock producers that the Victorian Government and our community will not tolerate animal cruelty."
Those who want to make a complaint regarding livestock welfare in Victoria can contact Agriculture Victoria on 136 186.
