April 23rd, 2023Farmer fined for seriously neglected sheep

A Mallee farmer has been fined $65,000 and disqualified for 25 years from owning any farm animal or being a person in charge of any farm animal after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges and being sentenced recently at the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court.

Agriculture Victoria Program Manager Animal Health and Welfare Compliance, Daniel Bode said Steven Ralston was convicted of 14 charges, including multiple failures to provide proper and sufficient food and drink to his livestock, a failure to treat flystrike sheep and a breach of a previously imposed order by the court requiring Mr Ralston to provide appropriate care to his stock.

The court heard the charges related to a failure to provide food and drink and an outbreak of flystrike in a flock of more than 1320 sheep at Mr Ralston’s properties in Corack and Chinkapook between March and April 2020.

Mr Bode said Agriculture Victoria officers first attended the property in early March 2020 in response to an animal welfare complaint.