Toby Fehring, 44, received the sentence in the County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to charges of theft of a firearm, theft, and burglary.

In the early hours of March 21 this year, the owner of the piggeries in Patho and McMillans noticed the gates to his properties were left unhinged.

Read other court: Axe-wielding burglar pleads guilty to Long Gully home invasion

The man checked his gun safes and found that a .22 calibre rifle, a .410 shotgun, and a Winchester .22 rifle had been removed.

Power tools and a Holden Rodeo ute had also been taken from the businesses.

On March 24, detectives searched Fehring's Echuca home and located the stolen power tools.

Fehring was arrested on April 28. During his record of police interview, Fehring admitted to attending the piggeries with a co-accused.

He told police he had worked for the piggeries' owner about ten years earlier so he knew where the guns were stored.

Fehring admitted to hiding the stolen tools in his garden shed, but said his co-accused took and sold the firearms.

The court heard the stolen firearms have not been recovered.

Read more court: Eppalock man given community correction order for aggravated burglary

Judge Mark Dean said the thefts were serious and the court must protect property owners, especially those in regional areas where "opportunistic" offending of this kind was more prevalent.

But Judge Dean said Fehring's range of mental health conditions, low intelligence, and limited cognitive functioning meant his ability to understand the gravity of his offending was "seriously reduced".

The judge noted jail would be more burdensome for the 44-year-old and his mental health could deteriorate in custody.

Judge Dean convicted and sentenced Fehring to a two-year community corrections order. Under the order, Fehring will have to complete treatment for drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues.

Fehring's licence was also cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

If Fehring did not plead guilty, he would have been sentenced to a 30-month community corrections order.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: