Vegan protesters or activists from Australia will need to be a lot more careful as of the 1st August 2019 as NSW Liberals and Nationals in government have put forward penalties including fines of up to $220,000 per person and the possibility of jail time!
If you are caught illegally entering a farming property from next month you could be given an on the spot fine of $1000 with further fines and jail time as a possibility. The NSW Government also known as the Government for New South Wales has created this new offence which directly affects those who create a biosecurity risk by trespassing on any farm in Australia, they are also hoping that the rest of the worlds governments catch on to this and release offences of their own.
It was revealed yesterday by the Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall and Deputy Premier John Barilaro that this new offence will start from August 1st 2019.
“Vigilantes who are entering our farmers’ property illegally are nothing short of domestic terrorists”
The new offence has been said to have come in after animal rights protesters caused ‘chaos’ throughout the country in April 2019 when they invaded farms and abattoirs using a map online which listed the sites throughout the country. Eight of the vegan protesters were each fined for their parts in the events and after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates court were handed fines between $400 – $600 for trespassing on agricultural properties.
“The NSW Liberals and Nationals in government are putting in place the harshest penalties in the country and sending a strong warning to those who think it’s OK to illegally invade farms”
Adam Marshall – Minister for Agriculture
It seems Adam Marshall is not the powerful figure that he tries to present himself as but has an ongoing problem with alcohol. He was stopped for a breath test in June 2014 where he had a blood alcohol reading of 0.112. He was trialed and on the 15th July he pleaded guilty and was subsequently convicted for drink driving. His counsel argued that Marshall was suffering from a head cold which could have impaired his awareness of his level of intoxication.
Adam Marshall was disqualified from driving for nine months and also fined $2,000 for this offence.
Adam Marshall was also hiding a few other offences such as his 17 speeding offences between 2002 and 2013 and had his licence suspended on three separate occasion, Australia’s minister for agriculture was able to avoid a fourth suspension back in 2014 by entering into a good-behaviour bond.
April’s protests caused somewhat of a stir amongst the Agricultural industry and a few people such as the federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud spoke up about the protests said
states must beef-up trespass laws so farm invaders would face serious penalties. If I broke into a suburban house in Melbourne or Sydney, I’d expect to be arrested, handcuffed and taken away. Breaking into a farm should be no different.
The vegan protesters timed their activities with the 1st anniversary of a film documentary called Dominion which fights against animal cruelty, its director Chris Delforce said
“The industry is telling people these animals are being killed ethically, that they are being killed humanely. The reality is … it’s the furthest thing from humane,”
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