Organised gangs of sheep rustlers and tractor thieves are costing the farmers millions of pounds - and Kent is a hotspot.

Rural crime cost the county's landowners £1.8m in 2019, according to NFU Mutual's 2020 Rural Crime Report - making it the fifth worst-affected part of the country.

Rebecca Davidsdon from NFU Mutual

But despite that the figure was actually 31.3% less than the previous year's, bucking the national trend.

Across the UK the cost of rural crime is at its highest level in eight years, rising 8.8% to a total of £54.3m.

For the second year in a row, gangs targetting high-value tractors, quad bikes and other farm vehicles account for an almost 25% rise in the cost of agricultural vehicles stolen, bringing it to £9.3m.

The cost of the theft of livestock also increased in 2019, up by 9% to £3m. Sheep being slaughtered in fields and stolen in large numbers is thought to be driving the increase, with the crime continuing through lockdown.

Another major concern is the theft of tractor GPS systems, which are used by farms to run more field operations.

The equipment can often cost between £8,000 and £10,000.

George Ashby, agent at NFU Mutual in Kent, said: “While we welcome the news that Kent didn’t see the sharp increases of the rest of the UK in 2019, rural crime continues to have a devastating impact on our farmers and rural communities.

“Rural crime is like a wave as organised criminality spreads through our villages, farms and rural towns, affecting everyone in the countryside.

"We continue to work hard to stem the tide and are warning rural communities and helping with prevention advice, as there are concerns for the months ahead as the economic impact of Coronavirus bites.

“As well as the financial cost, there’s a serious effect on the mental well-being of people living in rural and often isolated areas. There are fears that the impact will be felt harder this year as farmers have been working flat-out to feed the nation and many rural communities have been put under additional pressure by the challenges brought by lockdown.”

Mr Ashby said: “Our provisional theft claims data for the first half of 2020 indicates that, while rural theft fell overall during the early part of lockdown, we’ve seen a number of national trends including a spike in livestock rustling in April and the targeting of GPS equipment.

“There’s no doubt that organised criminal gangs are targeting our countryside again and these figures would be much higher if it weren’t for specialist rural crime teams in police forces, and improved farm security measures such as trackers for tractors and quads.

"However, a successful security measure or initiative in one area can displace organised criminality to another place, which is why we need a joined-up approach everywhere.”

This year, £430,000 was invested by NFU Mutual to tackle rural crime, including a police UK-wide agricultural vehicle crime tracking and recovery unit.

The insurer has also provided funding for the welfare and shelter of stolen farm animals as police investigate and track down their owners.

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here

To read more about last year's rural crime report, click here

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