The Victorian Farmers Federation is pushing the Victorian government to increase investment in detectives specializing in farm-related crime and has made agricultural crime one of its top priorities for the November state election.
The president of the Federation, Emma Germano, said that agricultural crimes made farmers and their families feel insecure and contributed to economic losses in rural communities.
“Unfortunately, governments have repeatedly failed to address agricultural and rural crime,” he said.
Emma Germano, president of the Victorian Farmers Federation. Credit: Jason South
Near Steers Farm, Locksley farmer Steven Brook said at least 300 sheep were stolen from his farm between June 2017 and April this year. After talking to other ranchers in the area, he estimated that about 700 sheep had been stolen in the past five years.
Victorian law requires that all sheep have identification tags, which allow farmers to count and track the locations of their sheep.
Farmer Steven Brook has also been the victim of cattle theft. Credit: Eddie Jim
But Brook said he believed the thieves were carefully planning the theft of livestock, including trucks to transport the animals and methods to remove the tags.
“This is more organized than a thief taking the opportunity when he sees a few sheep along the way,” he said.
However, farmers were often reluctant to report the theft of livestock, Brooks said, in part because it was difficult to know when the animals were being stolen, as they were often spread over long distances.
“I kept quiet,” he said. “I was embarrassed.”
Acting Inspector of Police Crime Coordination Unit Gary Wilson said the theft of livestock had a devastating impact on farmers’ businesses, but many incidents were not reported.
Belinda Steers and her partner James Rudd. Credit: Eddie Jim
He said it was vital for farmers to tell police if they suspected they had been the victims of the theft.
“We know that it is often very difficult to know if and when livestock has been stolen, as we know that animals are usually counted periodically, and it is physically impossible to have eyes everywhere on a large farm,” he said. .
The stolen animals were taken to vending gardens where police conducted random checks in some cases, Wilson said. Signs of theft included broken animal ears or suspicious tags, as well as unusual crowds of mixed-breed sheep.
Sheep theft is a growing problem on Victorian farms. Credit: Eddie Jim
A spokeswoman for the state government said there were 78 agricultural crime liaison officers working with regional communities where they were needed.
He said officers had specific skills and knowledge of the agricultural sector, so they could oversee agricultural and livestock research.
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