Family farm safety: keeping your livestock safe from theft

Livestock theft is something that no farmer wants to experience. Of course livestock theft can have a significant financial impact, with the loss of high-value stock, and this is what everyone thinks of first and foremost. However, the theft of livestock can also have prolonged emotional effects, leaving people anxious and possibly feeling unsafe in their own communities. With this in mind, here are five key tips to prevent livestock theft on your farm.

Firstly, you can help to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of livestock theft by understanding the mindset of thieves and how thefts occur. Remember, not every criminal can steal livestock; thieves need a working knowledge of livestock, they need a market and they need to be familiar with the area. Think to yourself, how would I access and steal the cattle if I were a thief? A criminal involved in livestock theft will have visited a farm a number of times before they strike. If you spot an unknown person more than once around your land, or acting suspiciously, then this should ring alarm bells.

You might ask yourself why would thieves be lurking around an area several times before they strike? Well the answer is thieves will always look for signs of weakness first, such as a broken fence or no lock on a gate. Easy entry and exit from a site is very attractive to thieves.

To help prevent against this, make sure your boundaries are secure – use fencing and hedging to make any boundary robust; inspect boundaries regularly; and, repair any damage in a timely fashion. Another factor to consider in terms of the infrastructure on the farm is the location of the handling unit. It is critical to examine the location of handling areas because these are more often than not used in livestock thefts. A handling area should only have one-way access to and from it. Furthermore, try to keep this facility away from a roadside also. if you can place a camera in the main area where livestock are handled or accessed it can work very well.

This tip might contradict itself but both regular and irregular refers to the manner in which you keep an eye on livestock. The number one way to keep your livestock safe is to check them on a regular basis. This should be done anyway to monitor the health of your livestock. Regular checking of livestock should involve a headcount of all stock and a check of the enclosure’s boundaries. The reason irregular is mentioned is that while livestock should be checked on a regular basis, the time of day this is done should be irregular, particularly if you live a considerable distance away from the land. If you are known for checking your stock at the same time every day, then it is very easy for thieves to identify times when there will be nobody around. Keep them guessing.

There are many sources of help available to farmers to keep livestock safe. Firstly, every farmer should have a neighbour, friend or relative that can help them out when they are away. This needs to be someone you can trust and who is familiar with the place. Word gets around fast when people are going on holidays and this can put your farm at great risk of break-ins. Always have someone who can do regular stock checks for you in this case. Another key source of help is An Garda Siochána. Anything out of the ordinary should be investigated and reported to An Garda Siochána immediately. Even any unexplained loss or general suspicious activity should be reported to the gardaí, no matter how inconspicuous you might think a situation seems at first.

Finally, your community can be a great source of help and it is important to always keep yourself in the link. This is why you should always use your local text alerts or crime prevention initiatives where regular updates and warnings can be received.

CCTV fitted at access points or in view of livestock handling areas can be useful. Intruder alarms are also a great way of warning off trespassers.

Remember to always put up signs around the perimeter of the enclosure when installing this equipment – signs can be a great deterrent in themselves. SelectaDNA’s forensic marking system involves using a liquid solution that contains a unique DNA signature. This signature lasts for five years and can be identified by crime prevention personnel. This technique, which is now being used against sheep theft in the UK, has been successfully used on other items in 37 countries worldwide.