Controversial RSPCA chief quits

The RSPCA’s controversial chief executive Gavin Grant resigned on 25 February “due to health concerns”.

Chair of trustees Mike Tomlinson said that Mr Grant had made a “very significant contribution” to the RSPCA.

But his 2-year tenure was controversial, particularly the decision to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on private hunting prosecutions at a time when there is an epidemic of neglected horses.

In spite of this, Mr Grant’s salary, calculated from the RSPCA annual accounts released last year, was reported to be at least £150,000, around 36% more than his predecessor Mark Watts.

The charity would not confirm the figure but commented that it was “within the parameters for the going rate of major UK charities”.

In 2012, the RSPCA spent £326,000 on legal action against the Heythrop alone.

Mr Grant further angered rural communities due to his views on live exports and calls for farmers who culled badgers — known carriers of TB — to be named and shamed.

His resignation prompted rural organisations to comment on the society’s future.

The Countryside Alliance’s Tim Bonner said: “We hope this is a signal that the RSPCA is going to focus on the laudable work it has traditionally undertaken in promoting animal welfare, rather than using charitable donations for pursuing a political agenda.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (6 March 2014)

Martha Terry

H&H features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on dogs of all shapes and sizes. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs, one a street dog from Gambia who was abandoned at three weeks old. Now, her constant companion, whether by her feet at her desk or walking cross-country courses, is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.