126 breeding ewes stolen in Welsh livestock theft

Dyfed-Powys Police have appealed for information after 126 breeding ewes, with distinct ear tags and purple pitch marks on their fleeces, were stolen from farmland near Llandrindod Wells in Powys.

The theft is believed to have occurred between Friday 31 October and Wednesday 5 November, at a remote, enclosed farmland in the Dolau area.

Most of the ewes were Texel cross Mule yearlings, with about 18 pure Beulah Speckled sheep aged between one and four years.

See also: South West farmers on alert after major sheep theft

A Powys Rural Crime Team spokesman said help is now needed from the farming community to find the animals and identify those responsible.

“To gather and remove these sheep would require knowledge of the industry. We are certain that someone will have information on these thefts,” the spokesman said.

“They will either know the persons responsible, have seen these animals being gathered, moved on and possibly sold through a livestock market, an abattoir or may have seen them in a field somewhere.”

The rural crime team also suspects that, in cases like this, there is a chance they may have been illegally slaughtered and entered the food chain.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk, or by phoning 101 and quoting incident reference 25000938925. 

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously by calling 0800 555111 or by visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.