Rustlers face long jail time
Livestock rustlers could spend up to 10 years in prison when new penalties are imposed.
They could face the lengthy jail time for the mere act of jumping a gate with the intention of stealing livestock. A lesser sentence of seven years’ imprisonment will be slapped on them for the actual act of stealing animals.
One of the factors that has prompted the Government to move rapidly is to stop the spread of the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis.
Last week, Justice Minister Andrew Little introduced a supplementary order paper on the Crimes Amendment Bill to crack down on livestock rustling, which has been estimated to cost farmers about $120 million a year.
The sponsor of the bill to curb rustling, Rangitikei MP Ian Mckelvie, said he hoped the legislation would be passed before Christmas.
There will be two new offences added to the Crimes Act:
❚ theft of livestock or other animal, carrying a maximum penalty of 7 years’ imprisonment;
❚ unlawful entry to land used for agricultural purposes, where the offender intends to steal livestock or act unlawfully against specified things, such as buildings or machinery, on that land. That offence carries up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Federated Farmers rural security spokesman Miles Anderson said at present the penalties were ‘‘a slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket’’. Offenders also stand to lose vehicles and equipment used in a crime.
Wairarapa farmer William Beetham said it was ‘‘fantastic’’ the Government recognised the issues the rural sector faced.
‘‘Stock is worth so much these days. A lamb is $120-140 and a mature beef animal more than $1600.’’
Two years ago, 300 sheep had gone missing from Beetham’s Wainuioru station east of Masterton that he had never been able to locate, and in another instance 30 lambs had been found butchered by a river with ear tags left behind that identified them as his.
‘‘We’ve now got all our gates and races padlocked with master keys and that seems to have prevented rustling. Operationally it makes things difficult to have every gate locked, but it’s stopped any further theft.’’
Mckelvie said the move to stronger penalties had the support of all political parties. ‘‘Farmland’s always been excluded from the Crimes Act which now makes it a burglary – meaning you’ve broken into something. Before it was considered a theft.
‘‘The key to this is the biosecurity risks are significant if people [are] going where they shouldn’t go. It wasn’t a consideration when we started this bill but it has become the prevalent issue.’’
Mckelvie said he personally wasn’t too concerned about people walking around his farm, but from a biosecurity point of view it was different.
Anderson said rustling ranged from opportunist to highly organised professional operations.
‘‘Farmers currently feel powerless to counter livestock theft. Now that the legislation is coming into force to effectively punish these criminals, it would be good to see the rural police resources to back it.
‘‘We need to get our reporting up on stock rustling, so the police can act.
‘‘I understand it can be daunting to report criminals, especially when it comes to organised crime, but the police have several ways you can log a concern including anonymously. As with all rural crime, if you see something, say something.’’