Now sheep-stealing gangs are taking cows and pigs for the black market, with fears that gangs are behind the increase in thefts

Criminal gangs that steal sheep to sell meat on the black market are now stealing other animals from farms, including pigs and even cows.

A report from industry regulators including Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has found that fraudsters have diversified their activities in a bid to exploit weaknesses in the country’s supply chain.

Concerns over livestock: Both cows and sheep are now being targeted and stolen by criminal gangs

The agency says it has identified organised crime groups involved in the theft of slaughtered meat and live animals.

The news follows a series of high-profile farm thefts, including a flock of 40 sheep stolen in Fossoway, Kinross-shire, last summer.

There are even fears that rural theft gangs are using drones to scout out farms they plan to raid.

Hannah Binns of insurer NFU Mutual said: ‘Cattle theft is devastating for farmers.

In addition to the obvious consequences for farms, theft can also have major consequences for important breeding lines, and requires a farmer to find and buy new livestock.

Organised crime groups are involved in the theft of live animals, according to Food Standards Scotland

Details of the criminals targeting livestock can be found in the 2024 Food Crime Strategic Assessment, drawn up by the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and FSS.

The assessment describes emerging threats, including the involvement of industry insiders who use their knowledge to commit and conceal crimes.

It is stated that ‘acquisitive crime within the food industry continues to focus on livestock theft’, with stolen animals often being slaughtered illegally and sold on the black market.

The 2020 report said that while theft of sheep, lambs and shellfish had been reported, “there has been an expansion in the species targeted for theft, now including cattle and pigs.”

Livestock theft is on the rise in the UK, with the latest figures showing that £2.7m worth of sheep, cattle and pigs were stolen last year – a four-year high. And the true scale of the problem could be much bigger.

The FSS said in its report that livestock theft is under-reported and that incidents are “often only discovered or reported when animals are removed from fields for the winter”, limiting “investigative opportunities”.

The agency also admitted that there are still “significant intelligence gaps” when it comes to the routes criminals use to get stolen animals into the food chain.

However, the company says it has obtained information about certain aspects of the tactics used by the criminals, including the misuse of animal identification systems to sell stolen sheep, pigs and cows.

Detective Inspector Jordan Low, of Police Scotland’s Rural and Acquisitive Crime Unit, said: ‘Compared to the rest of the UK, livestock theft in Scotland remains relatively low. Where we do encounter incidents of livestock theft, we work to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.’