If you’ve thought about it at all, you’ve probably assumed that sheep stealing is not a concern for today’s shepherd/sheep farmer. Not something they need to worry about. And in Canada, that’s probably a fair assumption.
Turns out though, that sheep stealing is a very real concern for sheep farmers in the United Kingdom, mostly since 2011. Prior to that thieves concentrated on machinery, quads and tractors which they would then sell.
That’s changing, fairly quickly. In 2013, 90,000 animals, mostly sheep, were filched from British farms, some from fields, some from buildings fairly close to farm houses. The total cost to farmers was £6.5m. Northern Ireland and the north east and north west regions of England have been the most heavily targeted. A significant rise in the price of meat seems to be the trigger.
Whether they strike in the dead of night or boldly in the middle of day as some have done, they seem to know their livestock. A Cornwall farmer had more than 100 pregnant ewes taken — between 18 and 23 from each of five different flocks. He reckons he lost £10,000 worth of sheep. This trait of stealing more than a few sheep, targeting the best of the flock and doing so in a quick and quiet way is prevalent and would seem to indicate these are no ordinary miscreants. These are persons who know animals and know how to handle them.
In an article in the Guardian, Sergeant Jim Edmonds, of Lancashire Police, says: “There are two trains of thought. If it’s a breed that will fetch a decent price at market, they will breed off them, or they would take them to slaughter using dodgy slaughterhouses.”
He believes most of the rustling is being done by other farmers, or farm workers, rather than organised criminal gangs from the cities.
Preventing these robberies and even proving they have occurred is a challenge. Thefts are not always immediately detected, especially in large flocks, counted a few times a year. Marks on fleeces can be erased with chemicals. Ear tags can be replaced. Even micro-chips can be removed.
Edmonds has been working on a rural crime strategy for Lancashire with the National Farmers’ Union. It includes training officers in spotting suspicious movement of livestock, and knowing what to look for (such as paperwork and appropriate tags) when they stop a vehicle. They are also doing a trial on DNA testing to link sheep suspected of being stolen back to their flock.
A liquid containing a unique DNA code, invisible to the naked eye is applied topically to each sheep’s hooves. This liquid is non-toxic, and can last up to five years. If needed, law enforcement officials can use an ultra violet lighting device to detect the presence of the product, and cross-reference it with a database to determine to whom the sheep belong.
- Shirley Byers