AAP General News (Australia)
04-02-2007
Vic: Sheep contaminator won't defend $500,000 lawsuit
By Kellee Nolan
MELBOURNE, April 2 AAP - An animal rights activist being sued for almost $500,000 has
chosen not to defend himself against the claim.
Ralph Hahnheuser, 42, a former Animal Liberation South Australia activist did not appear
in the Federal Court in Melbourne today to answer the civil claim lodged against him by
two sheep exporting companies.
The exporters, Rural Export and Trading (WA) and Samex Australia Meat Company lodged
the claim against Hahnheuser over an incident in November 2003, when he placed shredded
ham in sheep feed at feedlots in Portland, Victoria.
Hahnheuser has claimed he acted to make the sheep unacceptable to Muslim consumers
and prevent their live export to the Middle East.
About 70,000 sheep set for export were delayed at the Portland feedlot for two weeks
and another 1,800 were not exported at all as a result of the feed contamination.
The Geelong County Court acquitted Hahnheuser in May 2005 of a criminal charge of contaminating
feed to cause economic loss.
The exporters' lawyer Chris Northrop today told Justice Peter Gray the costs to his
clients as a result of the contamination were $400,000 for additional feeding, $9,000
for additional berthing, $2,500 for additional supervision and a loss on the 1,800 contaminated
sheep of $74,000.
Justice Peter Gray said he found the claimed loss on the 1,800 sheep "staggering".
"It's somewhat surprising that you could make such a loss on not selling 1,800 sheep," he said.
"Staggering in fact."
He said because there was no defence being mounted in court, he was required to scrutinise
the applicants' claims.
The exporters had also sought to sue Animal Liberation over the incident and reached
an out-of-court settlement with the organisation last Friday.
The case continues tomorrow.
AAP kn/dk/cjh/jlw
KEYWORD: HAHNHEUSER
2007 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
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