Newborn lamb stolen from Scots farm amid reports of attempted livestock thefts

Scots farmers are being urged to be vigilant amid incidents of attempted livestock theft, with a four-week-old lamb stolen from a field.

Police say they have received several reports in recent days from livestock owners of people attempting to catch young lambs, in some cases driving cars into fields among the ewes and lambs.

One incident involved the theft of a four-week-old Texel lamb from a farm in Dumfries and Galloway.

Livestock theft costs an estimated £2.7m in 2023, according to NFU Mutual.

Hannah Binns, NFU Mutual’s rural affairs specialist, said: “It is incredibly concerning to hear about these incidents involving young lambs in Scotland.

“Being a sheep farmer’s daughter, I know that rearing livestock takes months of meticulous planning, care and effort, making such thefts devastating for farmers.

“Not only does it disrupt breeding programmes and adds pressures onto sourcing and purchasing replacement livestock, but it can cause a huge amount of upset and worry to farmers and the families about the welfare and treatment of stolen farm animals.

“We’re urging that farmers remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police. It is worth noting down any vehicle registration numbers, as well as observing those involved and capturing video footage where safe to do so.

“Also consider restricting vehicular access to field gates and relocating livestock into fields away from roadsides if possible.”

PC John Cowan from Police Scotland said: “The Rural Crime Prevention Team would urge people not to publish video footage on social media but to send the police and don’t enter into arguments or pursue people.”