Hunt is on to find stolen sheep worth £47,000

John Richardson
John Richardson

Sheep farmers in Cumbria have been urged to be extra vigilant following the theft of 26 one-year-old pedigree Swaledale breeding sheep by thieves who clearly had expertise in rounding up livestock.

Cumbria Police confirmed the sheep, worth £46,800, were stolen at a point during the late evening of Friday 10 April and the early hours of Saturday 11 April from an eight acre field at Long Marton.

Mr Richardson’s main farm is Ghyll House in Dufton where he keeps more than 1,000 sheep. He has farmed there all of his life and is well known in the Swaledale Sheep Breeders Association. Mr Richardson said: “These sheep were from amongst the best of the flock from that year’s batch. I thought a lot of them.

“It doesn’t look like they have been stolen for the meat market. They were in a field next to hundreds of fattening sheep which were much easier to steal. This would suggest that the thieves have definitely known which sheep to go for.


“I’m in no doubt that these sheep have been stolen by somebody with plenty of dog power and shepherding skills. It would not have been easy for the thieves. The sheep are awful to lead and had only been loaded onto a trailer once before being stolen. The location of the gate in the field would have also made the theft awkward.”

Thankfully, the NFU Eden Farm Crime Prevention Scheme is up and running. The scheme is made up of farmers who have agreed to become the start of a network who will feed information to the police and provide advice when required.

Cumbria Police PCSOs Karen Dakin (5206) and Janet Allinson (5169) are part of the scheme and have been assigned to Mr Richardson’s case as part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Rural Crime Strategy.

PCSO Dakin added: “Mr Richardson contacted the police at 2pm on 11 April after making an unsuccessful search for his missing sheep. His wife had called earlier that morning because her horses had been let out of a field and were found in Brampton as part of the search for the sheep.

“We sent out an alert for information via Cumbria Community Messaging, contacted local auction marts and have informed adjoining police forces. The quality of these Swalesdales means they will be noticeable.”

Anyone who has information about this crime should call Crimestoppers on 0800 111 555 or the police on 101. Please quote incident number: CP-20150411-0183.

The sheep have a red and blue wool mark on the loin, a slit in the near ear and are stowed on the far ear. The holding numbers on the tags is: UK1030 4.

Amanda Wallbank is the NFU representative in the Appleby area and is setting up the NFU Eden Farm Crime Prevention Scheme’s Facebook page.

Amanda added: “The NFU will do all it can to help Mr Richardson and the police identify the culprits of this crime. The Swaledales must have been stolen to order as a foundation for breeding or to compete at a show.”