Approximately 30 20kg bags of calf milk have been stolen from a farm south of Warminster in Wiltshire.
Wiltshire rural crime team said the theft occured overnight on May 29, 2024, from the farm.
The team is urging anyone who is offered calf milk, for sale as per the picture and not via genuine retailers, to contact police quoting occurrence number 54240063555 with any details that could be relevant to locating any suspects.
“Rural crime whether big or small has a huge impact on all communities,” Wiltshire rural crime team said.
Break in at agrochemical store
The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) is urging growers and distributors of plant protein products (PPPs) to be on high alert following a “well organised” break in at an agrochemical store.
Farmers and PPP distributors are being warned that thieves are looking to steal valuable agrochemical products, following an attempted raid on a major distributor’s store in Norfolk this month.
The AIC said the break in occured just after midnight, and the thieves severed the building’s communication lines before climbing onto the roof to gain entry to where the PPP’s were stored.
When the alarm system was triggered, calling staff and police out to the site, the thieves abandoned their raid and fled empty-handed.
A police investigation suggested that the gang had knowledge of the site and experience with roofing based on precision tools left behind at the scene.
AIC head of crop protection and agronomy, Hazel Doonan, said routinely reviewing security arrangements is always a prudent step for any agricultural business to take given the “relentlessness of rural crime”.
“In light of this case, farmers and growers should be extremely wary if they are offered product that appears to be exceptionally cheap or does not come from a known and reputable distribution company,” she said.
“Inadvertently handling stolen goods has the potential to damage a business’s reputation and risks criminal proceedings.
“Any business or individual selling or supplying professional PPPs must hold the BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection.
