A western Victorian farmer has pleaded guilty in the Hamilton Magistrates Court to animal cruelty and aggravated cruelty to his sheep.
Yulecart farmer Michael Gaussen was fined $4000, without conviction and ordered to pay service costs of $148.80.
Early last year authorised officers from Agriculture Victoria attended Mr Gaussen's property at Yulecart in response to a complaint about the welfare of the accused's sheep.
The officers inspected a flock of approximately 50 mature sheep. A number of deceased sheep were also found.
Three live sheep were identified as being severely flystruck to 20–40 per cent of their bodies. Three recently deceased sheep were extensively flystruck at their time of death and it was considered these deaths had resulted from untreated flystrike.
