Criminal gangs cause ‘sharp rise’ in sheep rustling during coronavirus pandemic

Rural thieves also increasingly targeting costly farm GPS equipment to sell abroad, Jane Dalton reports

Sheep worth a total of £3m were stolen from farms last year, and the number shot up during the height of the pandemic

Gangs targeting farm animals led to a sharp rise in numbers of sheep being stolen at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an insurer.

Sheep rustling rose almost 15 per cent year-on-year in April, according to provisional data from NFU Mutual.

Many of the animals were slaughtered in fields, leaving bloody carcasses for farmers to find, and the meat is sold on illegally.

Organised criminal gangs also stealing expensive tractors and quad bikes led to a steep increase in thefts of farm vehicles for a second year running – up almost 25 per cent to £9.3m, the insurer’s annual report reveals.

And NFU Mutual warned that rural crime could escalate as the coronavirus economic impact hits harder.

Tractor GPS equipment, typically costing up to £10,000, has become “a highly prized item on the shopping lists of rural thieves, particularly during the Covid-19 lockdown where smaller, high-value items appear to have been targeted to meet demand overseas”. Such thefts were another “major concern”, the insurer said.

Thousands of sheep are stolen from farms every year. In February it was calculated that animals worth £3m of were taken last year, often from more isolated areas. It was a rise of 9 per cent.

The report indicates the cost of rural crime rose almost 9 per cent in 12 months to £54m last year – its highest level for eight years.

Reports of dog attacks on farm animals also rose during the outbreak, it said.

Rural crime increased in every UK region and nation, analysis of theft claims suggests.

The biggest increase was in Scotland (44 per cent), followed by Northern Ireland (18 per cent), then the east of England (16.9 per cent).

The counties worst affected were Lincolnshire (£2.8m), Essex (£2.7m) and North Yorkshire (£2.2m).

A joint operation by NFU Mutual and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service recovered five vehicles totalling more than £100,000 in Poland earlier this year.

“Well organised gangs taking large numbers of sheep, which are thought to enter the food chain illegally, are driving the increase,” the report says.

“A spate of sheep being slaughtered and butchered in farmers’ fields also contributed to the rise.”

Rebecca Davidson, of NFU Mutual, said as well as the financial cost, the crimes had a “serious effect on the mental wellbeing” of those affected.

Julia Mulligan, police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire and chairwoman of the National Rural Crime Network, said the numbers represented “only the tip of the iceberg” as many rural crimes went unreported.