A 29-year-old man has been fined $7,500 for illegally dumping more than 40 livestock carcasses and ordered to clean up the waste within 60 days.
WARNING: This article contains graphic images
Rural crime investigators attended the Bungawalbin State Forest, south-east of Casino in northern New South Wales, after being advised of an illegal dumping ground by another government agency.
Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside said the stench at the scene was horrendous.
"Police attended and saw over 40 head of dead cattle as well as numerous other animals including sheep," he said.
"It would be 40 to 50 carcasses in total, we believe; it's hard to be determined because of the state of decomposition there.
"We believe the animals were purchased from various locations for their meat and were butchered elsewhere for that purpose.
"Then the carcasses were dumped in the state forest after they had been butchered."
Detective Inspector Whiteside said the location was not a designated waste facility under Section 91 the Protection of the Environment Operations Act (1997).
"Therefore, you can't just dump these carcasses anywhere, they have to be disposed of in a manner which is not going to cause any harm to the environment or to others," he said.
"The 29-year-old man has been issued with a $7,500 fine for transporting hazardous waste to an unlawful facility."
Police inquiries, with the assistance of Local Land Services, State Forests and the Environment Protection Authority, found the livestock had been sold to an individual due to being sick or unwell.
At the dumping ground, the carcasses were found to have bullet holes in their skulls.
Detective Inspector Whiteside said at this stage of the investigations it was believed the meat was used for pet food.
The Ellangowan man has been given 60 days to clean up the waste and dispose of it lawfully or risk further fines for non-compliance.
