NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair has threatened to throw the biosecurity law book at animal activists if they illegally enter processors’ facilities.
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Mr Blair said he was deeply concerned a biosecurity threat was a real issue if activists spurred on by Aussie Farms’ map of farms and places, where they allege animal abuse, was followed through and a major processing plant such as a piggery, abattoir or poultry farm was invaded.
He said while farms had been targetted in the Aussie Farms map, so also had processors and that was a real worry for food security.
“What happens if one of these clowns who has chickens at their home then walks into a processing plant or poultry farm and spreads disease?,” he said.
He warned there were huge penalties for individuals who intentionally broke biosecurity rules and spread disease. He said under the Biosecurity Act 2015 for those who create a biosecurity risk or spread a pest/disease, particularly if it is undertaken intentionally or recklessly, that the maximum penalties range from $220,000 to $1,100,000 and imprisonment for up to 3 years in the case of an individual, or from $440,000 to $2,200,000 in the case of a corporation.
“We will throw the book at them on biosecurity grounds,” Mr Blair told The Land.
“There are significant fines and potential jail terms. It’s not just farms but also processors and abattoirs being targetted by these mongrels. Not only what they are doing is offensive but it’s also dangerous. We have to take the threat to biosecurity seriously. They enjoy the food and fibre farmers provide but yet they threaten their existence.
“Farmers are trying to cope with the drought and they have to deal with this rubbish. The attacks are ill-informed and are out to target some of the most honest and hardest workers in our community.”
Minister Blair’s office also provided this advice on what animal activists could face if they trespassed on farms or processor’s properties.
“The Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901 (ILP Act) relates to the protection of inclosed lands from intrusion and trespass. The ILP Act includes an unlawful entry on inclosed lands offence of 5 penalty units ($550) and an aggravated entry on inclosed lands offence with a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units ($5,500). As all agricultural businesses and meat processing businesses meet the definition of inclosed lands under the ILP Act, they are protected from intrusion and trespass under this Act.
- The new aggravated entry on inclosed lands offence in the ILP Act was amended in November 2017 and operates where the unlawful entry introduces or increases the risk of a biosecurity impact on the property. This new offence is relevant to many primary industry businesses, particularly intensive animal operations and meat processing operations. No one has been prosecuted under this provision to date.
- In addition to the aggravated unlawful entry offence, the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 was amended to include a victim’s geographical isolation as an aggravating factor to be taken into account in determining the appropriate sentence for an offence.
- There are also strong penalties under the Biosecurity Act 2015 for those who create a biosecurity risk or spread a pest/disease, particularly if it is undertaken intentionally or recklessly. The maximum penalties range from $220,000 to $1,100,000 and imprisonment for up to 3 years in the case of an individual, or from $440,000 to $2,200,000 in the case of a corporation.
- Finally, there are a range of offences under the Crimes Act 1900 for damaging property, causing violence or threatening violence against another person, or for injuring another person which carry imprisonment penalties.
John Ellicott
journalist and author
journalist and author
