Thefts from farms appear to be on the rise again in parts of the UK, with some farmers blaming cuts to rural police forces for the thefts or machinery and livestock, which they say could be preventable. Last year, hunting and rural affairs pressure group the Countryside Alliance claimed that austerity cuts to police departments would hit rural forces most severely, and that this would lead to a rise in crime in the countryside.

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The owner of the sheep blamed a reduced police presence for the increase in rustling, which rural insurer NFU mutual said last year had cost farmers in excess of £6 million. The recent increase is also due to recent rises in the price of meat, particularly lamb, which is seen as a lucrative ‘soft option.’ Stolen livestock will be butchered and sold.

In Yorkshire, farmers saw a 35 per cent rise in rustling last year, compared to 2010; NFU mutual said it had received 360 claims for livestock rustling in East Yorkshire alone in 2011.

Due to the often unsanitary conditions of butchery of black-market meat, police and farmers have urged the public to only buy their meat from a reputable source, in order to protect their health and reduce the incentive to rustle. Police have urged the public to be more vigilant, stating that they rely on intelligence and information even more since there is a reduced police presence in many rural regions.

In Northern Ireland, thieves are focusing on tools, tractors and quadbikes. Last week, around 35 farmers attended a meeting in Ballymena to tell local police of their concerns. The farmers in Northern Ireland also blamed a lack of police presence for the increase in thefts.

In Ireland the Ulster Farmers’ Union is working together with police at farming and machinery events to mark farmers’ property with smart water to deter thieves and increase the chances that any victims of theft will be reunited with their property. In the North of England, police forces working cooperatively have been stopping lorries transporting livestock to check paperwork, in an effort to crack down on thieves.

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