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Know How / Crime

News and advice on crime carried out on farms from sheep theft, to tractor, quad bike and other farm machinery theft, fly-tipping and hare coursing.  Get advice on farm security and rural crime prevention and hear from other farmers about how they keep their farm and property safe.

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CRIME

Dog attacks on livestock now carry unlimited fines

Farmers will benefit from stronger legal protections against dog attacks on livestock from today (December 18). The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025, raises the maximum penalty for livestock…

CRIME

£500,000 of stolen kit recovered in Lincolnshire

Police have recovered more than half a million pounds’ worth of stolen farm machinery and vehicles across Lincolnshire over the past year, highlighting the scale of rural crime in the…

CRIME

One arrest made as illegal bushmeat seized

An operation by the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) has led to the seizure of illegal frozen bushmeat and the arrest of one man in south…

CRIME

Farmer turns detective to trace stolen vintage tractor

Suffolk farmhand Spencer Campbell found himself playing accidental detective after his beloved vintage tractor mysteriously vanished from a friend’s farm in Battisford. Mr Campbell, 21, had left the 1946 Grey…

CRIME

Hare coursing surge in Wiltshire sparks police crackdown

Illegal hare coursing and poaching offences in Wiltshire surged by 21.8% between September 2024 and August 2025, prompting an unprecedented policing response. Since January, 30 individuals have been arrested –…

FARM POLICY

Dover border facilities 'inadequate' Defra minister admits

Urgent upgrades to facilities at the port of Dover are required if it is to prevent the illegal import of meat into the UK, according to Defra undersecretary Baroness Hayman.…

FLY-TIPPING

Farmers warned of winter waste crime surge

Farmers across the South East and East of England are being urged to tighten security on their land this winter as organised gangs escalate large-scale fly-tipping, leaving victims with clear-up…

CRIME

Lords approve unlimited fines for livestock dog attacks

Dog owners in England and Wales will soon face unlimited fines if their pets worry livestock, after a landmark bill to toughen penalties and expand protections cleared the House of…

Practical advice

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FARM MAINTENANCE

What to look for when buying a farmyard CCTV system

As the nights grow longer, darker and danker, so does the window of opportunity for unscrupulous ne’er-do-wells to pilfer from farmyards. Sadly, there’s no single answer to keeping undesirables out,…

CRIME

Video: Former SAS soldier on a mission to combat rural crime

Ex SAS soldier Mick Hawkes spent four years breaking into farm complexes under cover in Northern Ireland to combat the IRA. The covert operations mainly involved working against terrorism, looking…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: How does livestock theft cover work?

Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Rory Gibson, regional director, A-plan Rural Insurance, outlines what to consider on…

CRIME

Sheep worrying advice for lambing time

As lambing season gets under way, a string of recent sheep worrying incidents have left farmers asking what they can do to try to protect their flocks when they are…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Common scams - how to protect your farm business against them

Cyber attacks are increasingly sophisticated, with fraudsters using new ways to exploit vulnerabilities in a farm’s online security. Scammers operate on the telephone too, masquerading as representatives from legitimate companies…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: How can I protect against cybercrime?

Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Will Oakes, account executive, with A-Plan Rural Insurance, highlights the risk and…

Case studies

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CRIME

Video: Farm bunds fend off rural criminals

It’s a simple but effective crime prevention measure that doesn’t cost farmers the earth. For centuries, earth bunds were used to protect areas and keep unwanted visitors off land near…

CRIME

Video: Farms turned into fortresses to battle rural crime

Farmers from Ambion Contractors Ltd, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire, in the shadows of the Bosworth battlefield, are engaged in their own battle – the constant fight against rural crime.…

CRIME

How technology is helping farmers curb sheep thefts

Sheep theft cost the UK £2.4m last year, according to latest figures from NFU Mutual, with livestock one of the biggest targets after machinery, tools and vehicle thefts. Now, a…

ARABLE

Video: Trench-digging farmer curbs poachers

A farmer has dug trenches around his fields in a novel way to ward off poachers and stop joyriders damaging his crops. Rob Gardner says digging trenches around fields bordering…

Farmer builds a 7ft high metal barricade to deter crime

A farmer has built a 7ft high, metal barricade around his farm to deter joyriders - and he hopes to finish the job using crowd control fencing from the London…

Insights

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CRIME

Co-ordinated action sees drop in rural crime cost

While the scourge of rural crime still cost the industry an estimated £44.1m in 2024, across the UK that still represents a welcome fall of 17% from the previous year’s…

CRIME

Trespassers: What farmers can do to protect themselves

From errant walkers and fly-camping to longer term encroachment by travellers, the arrival of unwanted visitors can cause significant disruption to farming operations, and pose legal and financial challenges for…

CRIME

Analysis: How to protect yourself from fake seeds and pesticides

Digital analysts, on-ground track-and-trace teams and forensic testing might sound like something from a TV crime show, but some of the world’s biggest agchem manufacturers are having to turn detective…

CRIME

Rural crime more sophisticated than ever, report finds

With every new set of rural crime figures comes the hope of a shift downwards in the incidence and value of criminality in the UK countryside, but this year’s data…

CRIME

Video: Dorset farmers tackle deadly dog attacks

Livestock worrying poses a significant ongoing threat to farmers across the UK, but latest figures show the South West is the worst-affected region. Farm animals worth about £2.4m were severely…

CRIME

How successful is the National Rural Crime Unit one year on?

Headed up by Northumbria police superintendent Andy Huddleston, the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) was formed, and continues to operate, against a backdrop of geopolitical unrest, a situation which has…

CRIME

Farmers Weekly's meat scandal exposé: One year on

This time last year, Farmers Weekly published an exclusive investigation into a mass food fraud and safety scandal which engulfed the sector. But has any progress been made on tackling…

CRIME

Long winter nights bring rural crime warning for farmers

Rural crime is an unrelenting nuisance for farmers – be it fly-tippers, thieves stalking farmyards to pilfer expensive kit or fuel, rustlers brazenly stealing livestock, or poachers wrecking fields and…

CRIME

Livestock rustling takes its toll on targeted farmers

Rustling is now such a threat to livestock farms that some victims are changing their farming practices to avoid further thefts. PC Sebastian Haggett, of Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team,…

CRIME

Crime falls but farms still at risk from 'slicker' thieves

Rural crime rates have dropped to their lowest level in five years according to the latest figures from NFU Mutual, which estimates the cost of farm theft at just over…

CRIME

How the police want livestock worrying laws tightened

Tougher penalties for irresponsible pet owners who allow their out-of-control dogs to attack livestock are on target to be introduced in England and Wales later this year, say rural police.…

Video

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NEWS

10 hare coursers evade police in dramatic chase

A group of 10 men suspected of hare coursing evaded Cambridgeshire police in a dramatic car chase on Saturday (11 October). The men were travelling in a four-by-four vehicle, with…

CRIME

Video: CCTV captures GPS kit being stolen

Thieves stole four tractor domes and a GPS screen from a Leicestershire arable and poultry farmer. Will Oliver said two men took £25,000 worth of kit in the overnight raid…

NEWS

Vegan activists arrested over £80,000 damage at Muller site

Vegan activists protesting against the dairy industry have been criticised by the police after a group broke into a milk processing site and punctured 200 truck tyres, causing an estimated…

CRIME

Video: Brazen thieves caught on CCTV stealing farm equipment

One farming family has described the financial and psychological impact of being hit by theft, after thieves stole a farm truck and thousands of pounds of tools. The equipment and…