A north-central Victorian farmer has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges in the Echuca Magistrates' Court.
Andrew Charles Chappel, who holds properties at Pine Grove and Tennyson, was fined $20,000 without conviction on Wednesday.
Mr Chappel pleaded guilty to two cruelty charges of failing to provide sufficient feed, one cruelty charge for failing to provide enough drink, and two aggravated cruelty charges involving 10 cattle that became seriously disabled due to the failure to provide proper and sufficient food.
Magistrate Megan Aumair also imposed a two-year conditional order on Mr Chappel, which requires him to meet strict animal welfare requirements.
Agriculture Victoria Compliance Manager Daniel Bode said that in 2021, Mr Chappel was the owner and person in charge of approximately 147 head of cattle on parcels of land in Pine Grove and Tennyson.
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"Many of the cattle were in extremely poor condition from a failure to provide sufficient and appropriate feed or drink - resulting in 17 cows either observed recently deceased or requiring euthanasia," Mr Bode said.
Post-mortems conducted indicated there was a failure to provide sufficient food, which led to the death of the cattle in the absence of any other disease present.
Before handing down her sentence, Ms Aumair noted that these are the most disturbing matters and that the accused should be ashamed.
She said Mr Chappel's case was a serious example of neglect, and if not for a guilty plea, she would have slapped him with a fine of $100,000.
Mr Bode said Agriculture Victoria officers' investigative work was fundamental in ensuring a conclusive result.
"Apart from the obvious pain and suffering of the animals, animal welfare breaches can jeopardise Victoria's reputation as a humane and responsible producer of food, which can, in turn, affect all producers and livestock owners," he said.
A St Arnaud farmer was given a $65,000 fine after pleading guilty to 14 animal cruelty charges on Wednesday in the Ballarat Magistrates Court.
