National action week puts £41.5m rural crime bill in spotlight

Farmers and rural businesses across Britain are being warned of the continuing financial and emotional toll of rural crime as National Rural Crime Action Week gets under way.

Running from Sunday 6 September to 11 September, the campaign will focus on offences including machinery and fuel theft, livestock worrying, fly-tipping, poaching and wildlife crime.

Rural crime cost the UK £41.5 million in 2025, according to NFU Mutual, although the insurer warned that thefts involving quad bikes, ATVs, agricultural vehicles and livestock are continuing to rise.

Its latest rural crime report shows the overall cost fell by 6%, from £44.1m the previous year.

NFU Mutual said increased investment and closer collaboration between industry and law enforcement had helped reduce overall losses, but warned that organised criminals continue to target farms, machinery and livestock.

Police forces and rural organisations in England, Wales and Scotland are using the week to step up engagement with farming communities, while warning that the impact of rural crime often extends far beyond the initial theft or damage.

Scottish Land & Estates said incidents can leave businesses facing replacement costs, lost working time, higher insurance premiums, veterinary bills and additional security spending.

Nic MacLeod, policy and public affairs adviser at Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Rural crime is sometimes wrongly viewed as being less serious than offences committed in towns and cities, but its impact can be devastating.”

He said the theft of machinery, vehicles or fuel can bring essential farm work to a halt, while fly-tipping can leave landowners paying to clear waste and dealing with risks to livestock, wildlife and watercourses.

Livestock worrying remains another major concern. Mr MacLeod said: “Livestock worrying can result in animals being seriously injured or killed, as well as miscarriages and lasting distress within a flock or herd.”

Scottish Land & Estates also warned that rural crime can have a serious effect on mental health and wellbeing, particularly where farms are both a home and a workplace.

The organisation is part of the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime, whose current priorities include machinery, tool, fuel and metal theft, livestock crime, equine incidents, fly-tipping and heritage crime.

In North Wales, Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin said tackling rural and wildlife crime remains a priority within his Police and Crime Plan.

His office, North Wales Police and partner organisations have been working with farmers, landowners and rural businesses throughout the year to improve crime prevention and encourage better reporting.

Mr Dunbobbin said: “Rural communities make a vital contribution to the social, cultural and economic life of North Wales, and it is essential that they receive the support and protection they deserve.”

He also urged people to report incidents and suspicious activity, saying information from rural communities is vital in helping police identify offenders and target resources.

The commissioner is due to join North Wales Police’s Rural Crime Team on 9 September for meetings with Welsh farming unions and discussions around wildlife crime.

North Yorkshire Police is also taking part in the national campaign, with its Rural Task Force carrying out operational activity and meeting farmers, landowners and rural businesses.

The task force, which marks its tenth anniversary this year, focuses on agricultural crime, wildlife offences and organised criminality across one of England’s most rural policing areas.

Detective Chief Superintendent Nikki Shimwell said: “Rural crime has a significant impact on the people who live and work in North Yorkshire and York.”

She added: “From machinery theft and fly-tipping to poaching, wildlife crime and livestock offences, these crimes can have serious financial and emotional consequences for victims.”

The Countryside Alliance is using the week to argue that rural communities must be properly considered as policing structures and priorities change.

It says countryside crime can have a disproportionate impact where long distances and lower police visibility make victims feel more isolated and vulnerable.

The organisation will hold a parliamentary rural crime drop-in on 8 September, bringing together MPs, policing representatives and rural organisations.

It is also encouraging people to report incidents through its rural crime map, while stressing that the tool does not replace reporting offences directly to police.

The Alliance said rural communities “must not be an afterthought in police reform”.

Across the week, police forces and rural organisations are urging farmers, landowners and residents to report suspicious activity and share intelligence, with partnership working seen as central to tackling offending in the countryside.