‘A dangerous precedent’: Outrage over Mugarinya Community Association’s $50,000 animal cruelty fine

A prominent WA feedlot operator says a $50,000 fine handed to an Aboriginal corporation for the deaths of 86 cattle from thirst or starvation on a Pilbara station makes “a mockery” of WA’s animal welfare laws. Mugarinya Community Association was sentenced after pleading guilty to a single count of animal cruelty in Perth Magistrates Court on December 20. MCA was originally charged with 25 counts of animal cruelty in connection to the deaths of 1169 cattle at Yandeyarra Aboriginal Reserve, which it operates near Port Hedland, in 2019. Most of the charges were dropped after lengthy negotiations. The guilty plea related to 86 euthanised cattle that MCA “could reasonably have known about and . . . accepted criminal responsibility for”, a spokeswoman for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said. Magistrate Andrew Maughan concluded the fine was an appropriate sentence for MCA because the corporation had accepted responsibility and demonstrated remorse by entering a guilty plea. Mr Maughan said MCA’s lack of prior convictions also impacted the ruling, which has sparked anger among pastoralists and farmers, with some calling for harsher penalties. Port Hedland feedlot operator Paul Brown said the court’s ruling “made a mockery” of WA’s animal welfare laws. “It sets a dangerous precedent that the lives of animals aren’t actually worth that much,” Mr Brown said. “If a corporation can be responsible for the deaths of that many cattle and get off with a slap on the wrist, what message does that send to farmers and city folk?” WAFarmers president John Hassell agreed the fine was “not enough”. “These corporations seem to have an endless supply of money, so there was zero excuse for the neglect of animal welfare here,” Mr Hassell said. Pastoralists and Graziers Association president Tony Seabrook took a different view, saying while there was no excuse for the deaths, the court was punishing the wrong people. “The issue here is people who do not have enough knowledge or experience of stock were put in charge of those animals,” Mr Seabrook said. “The responsibility falls back on the people who put them (MCA) in that position when they were clearly not up to the task.” Under the Animal Welfare Act 2002, the court also imposed a set of conditions on MCA to make sure a management plan for all livestock on the property was in place for the next two years. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development also undertook “significant remedial measures” on Yandeyarra, including the installation of new bores for watering points, repair of existing bores, supplementary feed, and further musters to reduce cattle numbers.