Figures released by rural insurance company NFU Mutual have revealed that livestock thefts have increased on British by 24 per cent in the last year.

It is estimated that around 90,000 animals (mostly sheep along with cattle and pigs) were stolen last year costing farmers £6.5m. The consequences of this crime can have terrible consequences if diseases are spread and can even affect the health of the customers who buy illegal meat.

Tim Price, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual outlines possible reasons for the increase in rustling: “From 2011 onwards, we saw rustling start to pick up. A large part of the reason is that the price of meat has increased significantly and thieves saw an opportunity to steal livestock and sell it into the food chain. Rural thieves respond very quickly to changes in commodity prices, machinery prices, and move to take anything they can sell on.”

Sergeant Jim Edmonds, of Lancashire police, together with the National Farmers’ Union have implemented a rural crime strategy to deter and catch rustling culprits.

The new strategy involves 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 using DNA testing to link sheep suspected of being stolen back to their flock. A current case going through Lancaster magistrates court involves two men who were charged with the alleged theft of 58 pedigree sheep, worth £32,000.