Crime: Perthshire farmer dealt blow as thieves steal 28 sheep.

LIVESTOCK: Farmer devastated at loss of animals

One of Scotland’s top farmers has been left devastated after his business was ravaged by livestock thieves.

Police officers are investigating the theft of a large number of ewes from Jim Fairlie’s Kindrum Park Farm at Logiealmond.

Mr Fairlie lost 28 prize animals during the raid, which is the latest in a series of serious rural crimes to have taken place across Perth and Kinross.

Hundreds of animals worth tens of thousands of pounds have been stolen over the past 12 months, with October and November of 2016 among the toughest for farmers.

Organised gangs are known to be targeting the area.

Much of the livestock stolen is said to go to back-street abattoirs south of the border where few questions are asked about the provenance of the meat.

Mr Fairlie, left, is a hugely respected farmer and champion of Scottish lamb and is seen as the father of the Scottish farmers’ market movement.

He said he was at a loss to know how Scotland’s farmers can better protect their livelihoods, adding: “We have around 800 ewes on our hill farm. The loss of 28 is a major blow.

“It is not just the value of the ewes themselves but also the value of the lambs that they should have been having this spring. Back in 2011 we had 60 lambs stolen from the farm.

“The problem for farms across Scotland – and hill farms in particular – is there are just not enough people employed on them anymore.

“When animals are spread over such a wide area it is very difficult to keep an eye on them at all times.”

We have around 800 ewes on our hill farm. The loss of 28 is a major blow