Major meat processors caught up in alleged $50,000 cattle theft case

Northern Victorian man accused of stealing $50,000 worth of cattle and deceiving abattoirsPosted Fri 31 Jul 2026 at 3:36pmFri 31 Jul 2026 at 3:36pmDaniel Hoch from Tongala is facing six charges relating to cattle theft in 2023. (Supplied )In short:Daniel David Hoch of Tongala is accused of stealing cattle worth $52,941 and selling them to the big players in Victoria's meat processing industry. The court was told the matter may be withdrawn by prosecutors, pending agreement with the alleged victims over restitution costs.What's next?The case is set to return to court in September.A Victorian man has faced court accused of stealing 47 head of cattle valued at more than $50,000 and falsifying vendor documents to sell them to two of the state's biggest abattoirs.Police allege Daniel David Hoch, 38 of Tongala stole the cattle from two farmers in 2023, and then sold them off as his own.On July 29, he faced six charges of theft and deception at the Magistrates Court in Echuca.The court heard 29 cattle were stolen from a farm at Warrnambool on August 26, 2023.Court documents show those cattle were worth $44,503.30 and belonged to Mason Fehring, the nephew of former United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Max Fehring.On the same day, Mr Hoch is accused of falsifying a vendor declaration form, which is a mandatory form used by government authorities to record the movement of livestock and biosecurity information.The court charge sheets allege Mr Hoch, who is originally from Gippsland, sold the cattle to Midfield Meat, and "induced" the company to accept the vendor document as genuine.Midfield Meat, owned by the Midfield Group is a major player in Victoria's meat processing industry, with an abattoir at Warrnambool that's been operating since 1975.The court heard Mr Hoch is also accused of stealing 18 cattle on March 3, 2023 at Horfield, between Kerang and Echuca.Those cattle were valued at $8,438 and belonged to Power Feedlot, a WA-based company, court documents show.It is alleged Mr Hoch then lied on a vendor document to sell those cattle to another of the big Victorian abattoirs, Greenham and Sons.Police may withdraw case It is the fifth time Mr Hoch's theft and deception case has been before the court.He did not appear at the Wednesday hearing, but was represented by his lawyer Simon Pogue who asked for an adjournment saying the matter was "complex"."We're waiting to resolve the issue in relation to potential restitution, that would then resolve the matter," Mr Pogue said.Victoria Police Senior Constable Ben Bradford told the court "the prosecution has offered to withdraw, and part of this is the out-of-pocket is remunerated"."At the moment the victims are not willing to accept payment," he said.Mr Hoch will face court again on September 23.