Vigilance call over rise in Shropshire sheep rustling
Livestock farmers across Shropshire and surrounding areas have been warned to be vigilant after it was revealed the area has some of the highest sheep rustling figures in the country.
The warning came following
, which has seen farmers lose more than 3,600 sheep – worth more than £250,000 – to thieves.
And Tim Price, NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist, warned that the number of rustlings was still increasing.
"The claims figures for 2012 show that Midlands region, which includes Shropshire, has the third highest level of livestock rustling in the UK, so it is an issue of concern to farmers across the county," he said.
"We insure three quarters of the farms in Shropshire and we've seen a sharp increase in livestock rustling in the last two years, which we think is driven by increases in the price of meat.
"The Midlands region, which includes Shropshire, had the third highest level of rustling in 2012.
"Because of the sharp rise, our 300 local offices are working closely with farmers and the police to tackle the problem. We're also calling for rural dwellers to keep an eye on sheep in fields near their homes, and report and suspicious activity to local farmers or the police."
Mr Price warned that the follow-on effect of the rustling could be a risk to public health.
He said: "We strongly believe that the majority of stolen livestock are slaughtered, butchered and then being sold and put into the food chain rather than being sold on to other farms alive as used to happen in the past. This brings with it a significant risk that stolen livestock may be slaughtered, butchered or stored in unhygienic conditions putting public health at risk."
But he said the issue was not a new one.
"Rustling is one of the world's oldest crimes. Since the first cavemen kept goats, rustling has been a feature of farming," he said.
"However, the worrying trend today is that instead of small numbers of animals being taken in one attack, we are increasingly seeing very large numbers of sheep being stolen."
A sheep farmer from Abermule who did not wish to be named agreed.
"It's something that been going on for years, and it's quite a big problem," he said.
"You can't do 24-hour vigilance on a farm. You can't lock the sheep up all the time, and the police are limited with their resources."
He added: "I was speaking to a farmer who lives not far from Llanidloes and he said that between marking his lambs in the spring and weaning then last month he's lost about 50 sheep. They cost about £60 each, so the cost to him runs into the thousands."
Farmers Union of Wales spokesman Dafydd Roberts said: "Buyers of sheep or sheep meat should check the corresponding ownership records and livestock identification to ensure that the animals being purchased are not stolen."
The warnings follow two incidents within the past two weeks, with 24 texel lambs taken from a farm in Abermule, Powys, and dozens of lambs worth £80 each stolen from a farm in Corvedale, south Shropshire.
Star comment: Help catch the sheep rustlers
