Man fined for selling 19 tonnes of horse meat to greyhound trainers

An Australian man has been fined $12,000 for the illegal sale of horse meat, supplying an estimated 19 tonnes to greyhound trainers across New South Wales and Victoria. Adrian Talbot was found to be operating a knackery and pet food business without the necessary licenses and failed to comply with Australian standards for hygienic pet meat production.

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This is not a mere technical breach where one has let their license lapse. This represents one of the worst cases of offending of [these] offences at this time.

The scale of the operation became clear during sentencing, with the court hearing that approximately 94 horses were killed to produce the meat sold. Inspectors discovered around 300 horse carcasses on Talbot's property. The illegal sales, which occurred between August 2023 and May 2024, generated about $110,000 for Talbot, who used hired vehicles for deliveries.

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Such conduct after that was intentional not reckless.

During sentencing, Local Court Judge Gareth Christofi acknowledged the case as one of the worst of its kind. While Talbot's defense argued his actions were reckless due to ignorance of the licensing scheme, the judge found his continued operation after horse meat processing ceased to be intentional. Despite the severity, the judge also factored in Talbot's guilty plea, his clean criminal record, character references, and the considerable public shaming and threats directed at him and his family via social media, which had impacted his mental well-being.

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