Although the cost of rural crime to Northern Ireland dropped by 14.9% last year, it was still £2.5m, according to NFU Mutual’s claim statistics. This is around £1m more than either Scotland or Wales, even though Northern Ireland has a much smaller area and population than those countries, and half the number of Scotland’s farms.

“Our land border with the Republic of Ireland makes it easier for criminals to escape. So farmers are often victims of organised criminal gangs targeting machinery and livestock,” UFU president Barlcay Bell wrote in the report. “We need more joined-up thinking, such as more co-operation and intelligence-sharing between police districts and across the Irish border,” he added.

One of the initiatives highlighted in the report is the Northern Ireland Rural Crime Partnership, which includes organisations such as NFU Mutual, the UFU, the police, Crimestoppers and the Department of Agriculture to conduct joint prevention campaigns and encourage rural people to report crime.

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£2.5m cost of rural crime to NI – insurer

The annual rural crime report published this Monday by the farmer-owned British insurance company NFU Mutual shows the heavy price paid by Northern Ireland farmers.