Increasing sophistication of rural crime 'affecting farmers' mental health'

An NFU Conference panel session heard how organised criminals are ramping up their rural crime tactics
An NFU Conference panel session heard how organised criminals are ramping up their rural crime tactics

The psychological impact of rural crime on farmers' mental wellbeing should be emphasised more as criminals continue to advance their tactics, academics say.

The impacts of rural crime on farming businesses were presented at an NFU Conference session dedicated to the rising scourge that cost £49.9 million in 2018.

The panel included Dr Kreseda Smith and Dr Richard Byrne of Harper Adams University, who shared their top rural crime concerns.

They have launched a survey that looks into the psychological impacts of being victims of rural crime.

Dr Smith said: “The psychological impact of farm crime not only affects the farmer, but also to wider family, friends, workers, and community.

"It is time for academic researchers to treat this as a serious issue affecting farmer mental wellbeing.”

The session heard that organised criminals who target rural areas are ramping up their tactics.

There is a growth in the production of counterfeit pesticides, with criminals changing their modus operandi by becoming familiar with the farming calendar.

They then produce the chemicals they know will be required at the correct time of year, delegates heard.

Meanwhile, livestock thefts were becoming increasingly organised across the country and it was "no longer a matter of taking one for the pot", Dr Byrne said.

"They are stealing sheepdogs, they are stealing trailers and they are stealing larger numbers of sheep really quickly."

He went on to say that activists were increasingly using social media to isolate individual farms to target.

The NFU panel session heard how animal rights and vegan activism is evolving
The NFU panel session heard how animal rights and vegan activism is evolving

The NFU's Chief Legal Adviser, Nina Winter added that activism is animal rights and vegan activism is evolving, as there are 'lots of different types.'

"At one end there are peaceful activists, and I always say that the NFU are activists because we want to change the law, but what we do is lawful," she explained.

"But at the other end there are people who are prepared to break the law."

Ms Winter said that activism was not just about animal rights, but could encompass environmental and planning issues.

She said that the NFU was developing an online hub of advice for members, is calling on the Advertising Standards Authority to stop misleading ads from making into the public domain and are calling for an 150 metre exclusion zone for drones around people, livestock and houses.

Chief Superintendent Bill Dutton of Cheshire Police, who deputises for the National Chief Police Council’s (NPCC) national lead for rural crime, talked about setting up a dedicated rural crime team.

He said that he presented a "passionate business case" for £500,000 of extra resources to focus on rural crime, and their police commissioner put up the council tax precept to pay for it.