Farmers urged to be 'vigilant' following theft of 80 sheep from open moorland

Around 80 sheep – 41 ewes and 38 lambs – belonging to a farm in Castleton were taken from open moorland recently, in a crime North Yorkshire Police Rural Taskforce said was worth thousands of pounds.

There have been a number of livestock thefts from North Yorkshire farms, particularly in the Hambleton and Ryedale areas since the beginning of the year hitting farmers financially and emotionally.

John Minary, a forensic and crime prevention expert, worked as an advisor with the Taskforce when it was first set up, developing the TecTracer sheep security system from one designed to protect heritage buildings from lead thieves.

He said stealing large numbers of sheep was an organised rather than opportunistic crime as the thieves needed a disposal route.

“It is all about cash and if you steal 50 sheep you need to know you can dispose of them and make the money.”

He said it also opened up a whole discussion about the human food chain and meat entering it through unscrupulous traders.

“If there is a weakness in the supply chain it will be exploited,” he said.

In March, a farmer near Leeming Bar discovered the padlock on securing his field gate was broken and 89 ewes had been stolen. In April nine ewes and 53 lambs – valued at around £6,500 – were stolen from a field east of Thirsk. And earlier this year, 88 piglets worth around £3,800 were stolen from a farm near Helmsley.

In its latest figures the NFU Rural Crime Report placed North Yorkshire behind Lincolnshire and Essex as one of three counties worst affected by the cost of rural crime. It also indicated rustlers had targeted farms during lockdown.

Mr Minary said the figures had shown a 15 per cent increase in sheep rustling since the beginning of lockdown but he felt the figure could be higher.

“In our experience only about one in four rural crimes get reported and we find many farmers don’t say anything and stand the losses, so the figure could be higher.”

But the report also highlighted how technology, like the TecTracer developed by Mr Minary, was helping farmers fight back against thieves.

Mr Minary’s device uses raddles which ingrains thousands of coded markers into a sheep’s fleece, allowing them to be easily identified. And whilst the nickel dots are almost invisible to the naked eye, they and their unique identifying codes cannot be destroyed.

He said: “Farmers have been losing sheep for years and had lost confidence in being able to protect them, that is why we do it, to help farmers protect their livestock. “

The sheep taken in Castleton were rough fells marked with notches in their left ears and two blue stripes across their backs.

Speaking earlier in the year, Inspector Matt Hagen, from North Yorkshire’s Rural Taskforce, said livestock theft was not only devastating for farmers and their businesses, but caused unnecessary suffering to animals.

“Farmers are doing their best to make a living and keep food on our tables, having livestock stolen is the last thing they need.”

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James Mitchinson