WESLEY GRACEY OF TURREFF FINED FOR ANIMAL WELFARE OFFENSES AND HIS SON VET SUSPENDED IN ABERDEENSHIRE

Wesley Gracey, a cattle farmer born around 1960 and residing at Tehillah Farm in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, was convicted in 2022 of mistreating a distressed cow by using an electric cattle prod unlawfully. Gracey, who is a partner in the livestock firm W&J Gracey, was involved in an incident at the Scotbeef abattoir in Inverurie, where he drove six cows to be slaughtered. All but one cow left the transporter; however, the one refused to exit the truck even after attempts of cajoling. According to court reports, when the cow resisted, Gracey used an electric cattle prod on her repeatedly, going far beyond legal limits. Fiscal Deputy Lewis Devoy explained that the device should only be used on an animal’s hindquarters in short bursts of no more than one second. The incident lasted approximately four minutes, during which Gracey applied the prod on both sides of the cow’s neck, her ribs, and her hindquarters.

The cow was ultimately slaughtered in place, and a post-mortem examination revealed multiple lesions and bruising across her shoulders, neck, back, and hindquarters caused by the improper use of the electric prod. Gracey admitted to charges under the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the Animal Health Act 1981, specifically for repeatedly applying the electric prod causing suffering. He also faced a charge under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 for causing unnecessary suffering to the cow through the use of the prod and repeated kicking; however, he pleaded not guilty to this charge, which was accepted by the Crown. A third charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner was also accepted as not guilty.

Defense solicitor John McLeod stated that Gracey, who has been a farmer for many decades and deals in a large volume of cattle annually, was “overexuberant” in his use of the prod during this incident. He noted that CCTV footage shows half a dozen individuals observing the events, suggesting that such conduct might not be unusual. Gracey was fined £790 upon sentencing.

In related news, Gracey’s son, James Gracey, who works as a vet at the Meadows Veterinary Centre with branches in Oldmeldrum and New Deer, was suspended for six months by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). The suspension followed findings that James Gracey had engaged in dishonest conduct and breaches of animal welfare regulations concerning cows owned by his father. The RCVS determined that Gracey signed Food Chain Information forms without disclosing conflicts of interest, and in one case, falsely certified a cow as untreated for treatment within the past week when it was not. In another instance, he signed a form declaring a cow fit for travel despite this not being the case. The RCVS concluded that his actions could undermine public health and animal welfare, describing his conduct as dishonest and misleading.

James Gracey, born in Northern Ireland, resides at Tehillah Farm, Turriff, Aberdeenshire AB53 8LY. The full story was reported by the Press and Journal.