⚠️ The Case That Exposes the Fraudulent Welfare System
- Sheep Advocate Australia
- Nov 8, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 6
A significant case stands before us — one that exposes the deep rot within Victoria’s animal welfare system.
Sheep Advocate Australia (SAA) has lodged five complaints with Agriculture Victoria. Three of these were formal drafts, and the fifth complaint carried the greatest weight — the moment we exposed Agriculture Victorias total failure.
For over two months, Agriculture Victoria — the state regulator — has repeatedly told the public and ourselves that this case is “under investigation.” They claim to uphold the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, assuring all concerned that any breaches are “taken seriously.”
But our fifth complaint proved beyond doubt that there was no genuine investigation. None. This case stands as a perfect example of why we are demanding a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Victorian sheep industry.
The fraudulent welfare system and the fraudulent behaviour of the regulator, Agriculture Victoria, are now laid bare.
What We Found
At the heart of this case is a mass gravesite — hundreds of dead sheep buried in open ground. Local residents have told us this cruelty has gone on for years. Animals were seen suffering in paddocks, only to later “disappear.” We now know where they went — into that grave.
These open graves tell a story of horror:
Lambs suffering flystrike, left to die slowly.
Sheep with extreme wool burden, their fleece dragging on the ground.
Severe lice infestations — among the worst we’ve ever seen.
A large ram whose intestines trailed metres behind him before death.
The level of pain and neglect was unmistakable. Yet somehow, the lead veterinarian from Agriculture Victoria saw none of this. They didn’t notice the mass grave, the lice, or the flystrike — clear, visible breaches of welfare.
The System That Protects Cruelty
The Agriculture Department will not prosecute this operator. They will not bring charges.
Even when neglect is proven, the system is written to protect the farmer and fail the animals.
In Victoria, mass graves aren’t illegal. The system allows them. There are no welfare definitions strong enough to flag them as a problem. It doesn’t matter if there are two dead sheep or two thousand — it’s considered acceptable “farming practice.”
As the industry says:
“Where there’s livestock, there’s deadstock.”
That saying is embedded in the system. And it’s one of the reasons millions of sheep suffer and die every year, unseen and unprotected.
The Broader Picture
This is not an isolated case.
It is one of nearly a hundred cruelty cases SAA has documented since our inception four years ago.
In all that time, we know of only one case where the department took real action — and that was when the owner was hospitalised and unable to care for the animals.
Every other case — even when deliberate cruelty was proven — resulted in no legal action. No accountability. No justice. - that we know of.
The Real Problem: Industry Control
This is why we exist.
To expose, regulate, and phase out the Australian sheep industry.
The truth is that there are no legal protections for sheep. None. The industry and government have worked hand-in-hand to market lies about “world-leading welfare.” These lies are written into public documents and broadcast to the world.
But we know the truth:
There is no welfare system for sheep.
The government enables industry deceit.
And politicians are too scared to stand up to the most powerful lobby group in the country.
This fear — this silence — is what stops sheep from getting the protection they deserve.
What You Can Do
We ask the public to see the truth of this system and help us demand change.
A Parliamentary Inquiry is the only way forward — the only path to exposing this entrenched corruption and cruelty.
Visit our social media channels to see the full evidence and footage from this case, including images of the Bendigo site and other cruelty cases we’ve documented.
Together, we can expose the truth.
Together, we can make history for sheep in Victoria.
Expose. Regulate. Phase Out.
The Australian Sheep Industry must end.
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