THE owner of a cow that was a hit by a truck at Illowa on Tuesday morning has copped a $300 fine.
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Sergeant Pat Day from Koroit police said the incident occurred about 6.45am.
"This morning a truck hit a cow at Illowa, coming into Dennington," Sergeant Day said.
"It has damaged his bumper."
The owner of the cow was later located by a ranger and issued with a $300 fine for allowing the animal to roam onto a road. He could also be asked to pay for the repair of the truck, which police said could be thousands of dollars.
Sergeant Day said he had been working over the weekend and knew of more livestock escaping their paddocks onto the road.
"Over the past weekend there has been four cows getting out that I know of," he said.
"There wasn't collisions, but they are very dangerous when they get out on the road."
He said with the arrival of winter it was a good time for farmers to check their fences and ensure they were secure.
He said the cooler months was when cattle got out, as they were seeking greener grass on roadsides.
Agricultural Victoria's website says wandering livestock laws were strengthened in 2018.
"Confining livestock, including horses, to your property is important for the safety of the community," it says.
"Wandering livestock can create a serious public safety risk, particularly when they are on roads; human lives have been lost from vehicle collisions with livestock on roads. Wandering livestock may also injure themselves, other animals they encounter, and cause damage to property."
The Impounding of Livestock Act makes it an offence for a person to allow livestock to wander at large, or to fail to adequately confine livestock to a property.
The act now also enables a notice of objection to the trespassing of livestock and a notice to confine livestock to be served on either a landowner or livestock owner, in relation to trespassing or inadequately confined livestock.
Livestock found inadequately confined after a notice to confine has been served can now be impounded by an authorised council officer if the owner fails to comply with the notice.
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