John Auer colluded with his then farm hand Murray Silvester to poison wedge-tailed eagles, a legally protected species in Australia, over a 2-year period.

John Auer instructed Murray to inject sheep carcasses with chemicals leading to the deaths of hundreds of eagles. They used coded language in SMS correspondence as they both clearly knew their actions were illegal.

It is well known that wedge-tailed eagles rarely attack livestock (such as lambs). This is not an excuse to kill them!

Murray Silvester was fined $2500, spent 2 weeks in gaol, and was then sent for a holiday in New Zealand (deported). John Auer, the 'mastermind' behind this unlawful destruction of native fauna (Murray Silvester's boss) was fined $25000 on charges related to the mishandling and storage of chemicals(used by Silvester to poison the eagles) and received a 12 month good behaviour bond as well as a 12 month community corrections order. John Auer did not receive any punitive measures related directly to the death of these birds! Pathetic!

This is not justice - this is a disgrace.

You might have heard of John Auer previously as he was a part owner of Jam Land, an organisation that has been accused of poisoning protected temperate native grasslands. Clearly, this man has no respect for the law, for conservation efforts, or for the land. He isn't fit to call himself a farmer.

If killing the birds isn't bad enough, the injustice of the worker getting gaol time and deportation, and the boss receiving a small fine should make the blood boil. What kind of message does this send?

We are asking for the following:

1. An increase in the magnitude of the rulings handed down to John Auer. This means proper fines or gaol time rather than the pathetic ruling of around $50 per bird
2. Changes to punitive measures including serious increases to the minimum and maximum fines and gaol time under the Wildlife Act
3. Mandatory revocation of farming privileges for any repeat offender. This would see John Auer banned from ruining anything else for a period of time

Thanks for reading, and please share with your family, friends, and colleagues.

References:

• 'Bloody well done': Texts and emails reveal scheme to poison eagles - https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/bloody-well-done-texts-and-emails-reveal-scheme-to-poison-eagles-20190917-p52s0z.html
• John Auer | Former Jam Land Director | Masterminded Over 400 Eagle Deaths - http://dingo.news/voice/2019/11/14/john-auer-former-jam-land-director-masterminded-over-400-eagle-deaths/
• Our Story - http://www.hsrseeds.com.au/2015/09/our-story/ - you can see our here on this page
• Environment - Victoria State Government - https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/
• Wedge-tailed eagle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_eagle