Overview

• A 34-year-old Grafton farmhand faces more than 20 charges for allegedly selling 45 full-blood Wagyu cows and heifers without his employer’s consent.
• Investigators say he used a third-party buyer to acquire 114 cattle at a steep discount, securing an estimated $100,000 financial advantage.
• Police seized liquid nitrogen tanks containing over $100,000 worth of stolen Wagyu semen and embryos during the operation.
• A 48-year-old veterinarian has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty and providing false treatment records after two cows died and six bulls fell ill.
• Both defendants were granted conditional bail with the farmhand due to appear on August 4 and the veterinarian on August 11 at Grafton Local Court.