Police are investigating after 42 lambs were stolen from a field in Ceredigion, in what officers say is a devastating blow to the farming family affected.
Dyfed-Powys Police are appealing for information after the lambs were taken from a field near Capel Cynon, Ffostrasol, Llandysul.
Rural crime officers in Ceredigion said the animals were taken from within a flock of more than 400 lambs sometime in the three weeks leading up to 29 August.
The theft only came to light following a count of the flock, according to the force.
According to the latest figures by NFU Mutual, rural crime across the UK cost an estimated £44.1 million in 2024, a 16.5% decrease compared to £52.8 million in 2023.
However, livestock theft remains a persistent problem, costing around £3.3 million, a modest 3% increase year on year.
Inspector Matthew Howells urged the agricultural community to play a central role in tracing the missing animals and bringing those responsible to justice.
He said: "Someone will have seen these animals either being put through a livestock market, an abattoir or may be in a field near to where you live and work.
"There is also the possibility that they may have entered the food chain illegally as ‘smokies.’
“The impact of a theft on this scale has a devastating impact on the victim, his family and business.”
Police described the missing stock as mainly white-faced lambs, with a few black-faced animals, each marked with green and blue on their rumps and back.
The lambs are not tagged but have distinctive notches in their ears.
Officers stressed that no lambs have been sold from this flock this year, meaning any animals with identical ear notches found elsewhere are likely to be the stolen stock.
The force has appealed to the farming community, livestock auctioneers, abattoirs and members of the public for information that could assist the investigation.
