Spirit of Tasmania operator TT-Line should not be convicted over its role in the deaths of 16 polo ponies, lawyers have argued.
Magistrate Leanne Topfer in October found the ferry operator guilty of 29 animal welfare charges, after the horses were found dead inside a converted refrigeration trailer in January 2018.
The animals had competed at the annual Barnbougle Polo Tournament before crossing the Bass Strait from Devonport to Melbourne.