Smart paste on sheep helps stop farmers being fleeced

FARMERS are turning to smart tagging technology to prevent their sheep being stolen.

The hi-tech paste, called Tectracer, becomes entangled in a sheep’s fleece and marks the animal with thousands of forensic coded microdots, which can trace them to their home farm if they are stolen.

Livestock theft is a growing problem across the country, costing farmers £2.2million in 2016 and £2.4million in 2017.

Rural crime in general is on the increase. The National Rural Crime Survey revealed earlier this year that 69 per cent of farmers have been a victim of crime over the past 12 months, compared with 33 per cent in 2015.

Pip Simpson, a sheep and beef farmer, who described rural crime is “rife”, started using Tectracer earlier this year after more than 300 sheep were stolen from his farm over a fouryear period. He went to the lengths of dying his sheep a luminous orange in 2015 to discourage theft.

Mr Simpson, who had 40 sheep and 60 lambs stolen from his Lake District farm six weeks ago, said: “We have got a massive sheep theft problem. Fourteen went missing in February and they were eventually seen in a field 80 miles from our farm.

“We posted on social media that they had Tectracer on them and they were returned within two weeks. I think whoever stole them thought they were too hot to handle.”

Tectracer embeds itself on to the sheep’s skin, so even if thieves sheer their coats there are always some microdots left, Mr Simpson said.

John Minary, a former police officer who developed Tectracer, invented the technology with his partner to protect church roofs and heritage sites targeted by metal thieves.