A MAJOR Victorian livestock carrier has been fined $10,000 for cruelty to sheep.
Gavin O'Sullivan, from O'Sullivans Transport at Elmore, pleaded guilty to eight charges of cruelty to sheep at the Bendigo Livestock Exchange last year.
Department of Primary Industries' prosecutor Geoffrey Morsby told the court that four sheep that were about to be loaded on to a truck in May last year were seen to be "severely disabled and distressed".
When DPI staff examined the sheep, the animals could not bear weight on one leg. They were judged "unfit for further movement or transport".
The court was told the sheep were destroyed. Further examination found "severe single-leg factures with significant secondary surrounding tissue damage".
A second incident, in August, involved the DPI finding sheep unfit for sale or transport at the same centre.
"The accused has caused these sheep with severe injuries to be loaded, transported, unloaded and driven to the selling pens in circumstances causing or likely to cause further pain and suffering," Mr Morsby said.
Mr O'Sullivan pleaded guilty, and was fined $10,000 without conviction.
DPI principal animal health officer Ben Fahy said it was unacceptable not to assess the health of livestock before, during and after transport.
This applied to livestock transporters, owners and managers.
"It is an offence to ignore the appropriate veterinary needs and management requirements of suffering or disabled livestock, and such stock must not be consigned for transportation, nor their transportation be allowed to continue," Mr Fahy said.
"Livestock transporters, owners or managers are expected to be vigilant in assessing the health of livestock for fitness for transport.
"(They) should also understand that saleyard superintendents have the legal powers to ensure the immediate, humane destruction of suffering or disabled livestock at saleyards."
Mr O'Sullivan did not want to comment on specific details of the case.
"All I want to say is that we are contracted to cart stock," he said.
