Lockdown is blamed for rise in sheep and cattle rustling

PANIC buying and meat rationing at the start of lockdown contributed to a big rise in sheep and cattle rustling, according to a rural crime survey.

The theft of livestock rose by almost 15 per cent from April 2019 to April 2020, costing farmers in excess of £3 million.

Organised gangs are believed to have exploited the lockdown in March and April to take animals and put them into the food chain illegally. In some cases animals were slaughtered and butchered while still in the farmers’ fields, meaning they did not undergo safety checks at an abattoir.

Data collected by the National Farmers’ Union Mutual as part of its annual crime survey suggested there was a big spike in the rustling of lambs in April when many supermarkets were limiting sales of fresh meat.

In March police forces in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Cumbria all reported incidents of sheep rustling. It is thought many of the slaughtered animals were sold door-to-door by criminals posing as ethical organic suppliers.

The survey also highlighted a surge in the theft of farm equipment over the last 12 months.

Overseas gangs are thought to have targeted British farmers in order to steal tractors and farm machinery before smuggling them abroad.

In a joint operation between NFU Mutual and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, five vehicles totalling more than £100,000 were recovered from Poland earlier this year.