LATROBE VALLEY, AUSTRALIA: Nathan Gibbon, a prominent livestock agent and auctioneer from West Gippsland, has been sentenced to six months in prison for defrauding two export companies of ₹1.82 crore ($234,705) by falsely claiming cattle were vendor-bred to qualify them for export to China. He also received an additional sentence for handling stolen goods, a ₹60.57 lakh ($78,000) skid steer discovered at his property.
False Cattle Claims to Secure Export Profits
Latrobe Valley County Court found the 50-year-old businessman guilty of three charges, including two counts of obtaining property by deception and one count of handling stolen goods. Gibbon pleaded guilty and was also issued an 18-month community corrections order upon release, including 100 hours of unpaid community work.
Between 2018 and 2019, Gibbon misled Australasian Global Exports (AGE) and Yarra Corporation by claiming that cattle sold through him were vendor-bred, a prerequisite for export to China. Vendor-bred cattle must be born and raised on a single farm, whereas others must remain on the farm for at least six months before being export-eligible.
The court found Gibbon fraudulently obtained ₹1.63 crore ($209,955) from AGE and an additional ₹19.22 lakh ($24,750) from Yarra Corporation. Investigations in 2019 uncovered tampered National Vendor Declaration books and removed eartags at his property, suggesting systematic fraud.
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Stolen Machinery Found in Shed
In an unrelated charge, police recovered a stolen CAT skid steer loader worth ₹60.57 lakh ($78,000) from Gibbon’s shed in July 2022. The machine had been reported stolen from a Laverton rental company in May 2020. While Gibbon claimed someone left it temporarily, police noted the equipment’s digital record showed 155 hours of use, contradicting his account.
Judge John Lewis acknowledged Gibbon’s community standing and work ethic but remarked on the “striking” risk taken in knowingly breaching export regulations.
The conviction marks a significant enforcement action in Australia’s agricultural trade sector, where adherence to export rules is critical to market trust and compliance with foreign regulations.