Finger pointed at Atkins for rise in cattle rustling

Published on Monday 12 April 2004 01:00

THE Atkins diet has been blamed for many things: kidney damage, high cholesterol, diabetes, even bad breath. Cattle rustling has now been added.

The unorthodox diet’s popularity - with its emphasis on high protein foods such as steak - has resulted in rising US beef prices. American police in rural areas have claimed the eating fad appears to be creating a generation of rustlers who steal and sell cattle, particularly newborn calves not yet branded.

"It's getting worse," said Frank Swiggart, a detective for the Merced County Sheriff's Office in California's San Joaquin Valley, which has a high concentration of cattle ranches and dairy farms.

"The incentive is really there because of the beef prices. And it’s not just a few random guys out there doing this. We’re finding organised rustling rings."

A calf stolen shortly after birth can fetch about 272 ($500). Some ranchers are now installing lights and more fences on their properties, while others are hiring overnight security guards and moving their cattle pens away from roadsides.