Virus restrictions reduce rustling

Livestock worth an estimated £2.3m was stolen from UK farms last year, but despite a fall on the previous year’s figure of £3 million, rustling remains one of the most costly crimes for British farmers after vehicle and machinery theft.

The figures, released by rural insurers NFU Mutual, showed that tougher police action and restrictions on movements due to the Covid pandemic had contributed to the fall

“Last year’s overall fall is encouraging news to an industry which has worked hard through the pandemic to keep the nation fed,” said the Mutual’s rural affairs specialist, Rebecca Davidson.

“Tougher police enforcement certainly seems to have taken effect and the coronavirus restrictions may have also deterred criminals who would have been easier to detect during lockdown.

However, she added that despite the latest figures, modern rustling is still a large-scale, organised crime, causing suffering to animals, adding financial pressures to farmers and putting public health at risk.

“We are worried that when movement restrictions ease there could be a resurgence as thieves target the countryside again. We are urging farmers to remain vigilant and check stock regularly.”

Davidson said that rustling had always been an aspect of farming but ten years ago NFU Mutual would rarely see claims of more than a dozen sheep taken at a time.

“But now we regularly receives reports of 30 to 100 sheep being taken in a single raid,” she said, adding that farmers should keep a close eye on their stock.