Farm animal thefts in Northern Ireland linked to organised crime

More than 3,000 animals were reported as stolen in Northern Ireland between 2019 and 2024 in a pattern that is being linked to organised crime.

New figures obtained by BBC News NI show that the vast majority were farm animals such as sheep and cattle.

Most of the reported thefts took place in rural council areas like Mid Ulster and Causeway Coast and Glens.

Police said the high value of livestock suggests that some of the cases will have a link to “organised crime and cross-border criminality”.

And an Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) representative said the amount of planning involved in stealing large numbers of animals suggests a link to organised crime.

PSNI Rural and Wildlife Crime lead, Superintendent Johnston McDowell, said police had been working to decrease the number of animal thefts and in some cases were working alongside An Garda Síochána in the Republic of Ireland.

John McCleneghan from the UFU told BBC News NI that livestock theft is something they hear about a lot.

“When you look at some of the cases of dozens of cattle or sheep being taken, that takes planning, so that alone is evidence of some form of organised crime being involved.

“The reality is that as the value of livestock has increased in recent years, the value to the criminal and the incentive to the criminal has also increased.”

He added: “That’s why we would say to farmers to take all the steps they can in terms of security to try act as a deterrent, to protect their livestock, so things like tags on their animals locks on gates, regular checks and things like that, CCTV or tracking devices.

“But we appreciate that all this is also an added cost and financial burden to the farmer in already tough times.”

In January 2024, 50 lambs were stolen near the village of Park in Londonderry in what farmer Dermot Mullan said was a “well-planned operation” that would cost him up to £7,000.

“I received a call from my brother that the sheep weren’t in the field, but I honestly just thought they had escaped”, he said.

Later that day the scale of the theft would become apparent to Dermot and his family.

He said: “I was in shock, it took a while to sink in, for 50 sheep to be taken in one go without detection would take a lot of planning.

“They came in the middle of the night, it was very stormy so we wouldn’t have heard much, they must have rounded the sheep up and had a large trailer waiting and away they went.”

Dermot said the whole incident has had a huge impact on his family.

“It’s been tough, it’s a big financial loss, but there is also an impact on your mental health, not just on me but on the whole family.

“Yes you have the animals to make money, but you get attached to them, especially with the lambs, my two sons looked after them on a Saturday and things like that, so it was a real loss.”

Dermot said the figures on the overall number of animal thefts across Northern Ireland are “shocking”.

He said: “Unfortunately, I know of other farmers who have had livestock stolen, it happens lot.

“But a lot of them are men who don’t want to come forward and talk about it or in some cases to even report it, for a whole lot of reasons like fear and stigma, but we need to shine light on this issue, because it can have a devastating effect on people”

The PSNI said there was no evidence to suggest that there had been an upsurge in animals being actively targeted.

But Supt McDowell gave some advice to farmers and other animal owners. He said they should:

• close and lock yard gates at night to deter drive-through thieves
• lock outbuildings at night that hold livestock
• check lighting, alarms and cameras are working
• microchip or tag animals to help with recovery if they do get stolen

In a statement the Department of Agriculture said it took the theft of farm animals “very seriously”.

A department spokesperson added: “Rural crime, in particular the theft of farmed animals, is a direct threat to the livelihood of our farmers and to the integrity of the traceability system which is vital in providing assurance on the safety, integrity and quality of our food.”