Dairy owner fined for stray cattle

The former manager of an award-winning dairy has been fined $350 after the City of Albany prosecuted him for permitting livestock to stray from his property.

Duncan John Saunders of Redmond’s Ringwould Dairy pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting livestock to stray or be at large in a street, public place or private property without consent when he appeared in Albany Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Mr Saunders was set to face trial after previously pleading not guilty to four charges but changed his plea to guilty on two counts, while the City discontinued two charges.

The court heard City of Albany rangers received a complaint that between 40 and 60 goats had wandered from a property in Redmond and were found on the road verge in November 2015.

Another complaint was made in February, 2016 after 18 pigs were found in a nearby property resulting in two City rangers being called out to impound them.

Defence lawyer Richard Hickson said the pigs had since been killed by a neighbour and his client’s dairy had unfortunately ceased operation as a commercial operation.

He asked Magistrate Raelene Johnston to consider a conditional release order to deter Mr Saunders from reoffending.

Prosecutor Nicole Young said the City was concerned the goats were found on a road of high speed which was also a school bus route and a conditional release order provided incentive for Mr Saunders to mend his fences.

Ms Johnston fined Mr Saun-ders $350 for the stray pigs and issued a 12-month conditional release order for the goats incident, meaning he will forfeit $300 if he offends in the next year.