Dramatic rise in sheep rustling costing farmers £5million a year

HERE’S a crime that calls for more bobbies on the bleat…

Organised gangs of crooks are thought to be behind a dramatic 80% rise in sheep rustling across Britain.

About 30,000 were stolen in the first eight months of this year as the impact of the recession bites.
Police fear the criminals may be shipping the animals abroad as cheap meat.

The North East is the worst-affected region. Recently 86 sheep were stolen from fields near Belsay in Northumberland.

And in Lincolnshire, 1,500 sheep and lambs were snatched near Louth. A spokeswoman for ­insurance firm NFU Mutual, which deals with many of the claims, said: “In the last decade, ­livestock rustling has been at historically low levels, while farm thieves concentrated on stealing quad bikes, tractors and power tools. High meat prices and improved security appear to be leading to a resurgence in livestock rustling.”

Chief Superintendent Mark Dennett, from Northumbria police, added: “I have been an officer for 29 years and incidents of livestock going missing have never been on this scale. I believe this is organised crime. The gangs must be using large vehicles.

“I suspect the sheep could be transported out of the region, or even loaded on ships bound for Europe. The farming community is very close knit. The vast majority of butchers and suppliers know exactly where their meat comes from. It is crucial we get information.”

Sheep sell for around £100 each on the black market. Theft of livestock in 2011 has cost farmers across England, Scotland and Wales more than £5million.


by Steve White, Daily Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/10/03/dramatic-rise-in-sheep-rustling-costing-farmers-5million-a-year-115875-23462671/