With a significant increase in reports of wandering stock, Murrindindi Shire Council is calling on farmers and property owners to keep their animals secured.
Council’s Director Assets and Development Vito Albicini said since the start of the year, our Community Safety Unit has received 46 requests from the community to attend wandering livestock.
‘Of those 46 requests, around 43% of them were received in the last two months alone. That’s a significant increase and it’s very concerning.
‘Wandering livestock presents a serious safety risk, especially if an animal wanders onto a road or a major highway. We don’t want to see livestock causing accidents on our roads and putting human lives in danger. And we also don’t want to see animals injuring themselves either.
‘We know property owners want to keep their animals safe, so we’re encouraging owners to check fencing, gates, and cattle grates on a regular basis.
‘Under the Impounding of Livestock Act 1994, Council officers can issue notices to property or livestock owners who fail to keep to their animals secured. The Act also makes it an offence for a person to allow livestock to wander or fail to adequately confine livestock to a property.
‘In an ideal situation, we’d never see livestock on our roads, however if community members do see livestock wandering, we encourage you to report it immediately’, said Mr Albicini.
