The cost of rural crime in Northern Ireland fell by 21.3% last year to an estimated £2 million, according to NFU Mutual’s new rural crime report.
The cost of rural crime across the UK rose to £52.8 million, up from £50.6 million in 2022, with GPS unit thefts rising by 137% to £4.2 million.
Although the cost of rural crime in Northern Ireland fell, NFU Mutual has warned that the increasing organisation and sophistication of criminals has seen high-value equipment in the countryside targeted by thieves.
Quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were also top targets for rural thieves, with thefts up 9% to an estimated £3.2 million in claim costs in the UK reported to NFU Mutual last year.
Rural crime
Livestock theft remained high in 2023, at an estimated cost of £2.7 million across the UK.
Last year saw a spate of “alarming incidents” where farm animals were butchered in fields, NFU Mutual said.
This year, NFU Mutual funded the UK’s first livestock theft officer at the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) to tackle the crime.
Farm animals worth an estimated £2.4 million were severely injured or killed in dog attacks across the UK in 2023, up nearly 30% compared to the previous year.
Sharp rises in inflation in 2023 made farming equipment an attractive target for organised gangs and meant each theft cost the rural community more than in previous years, according to the rural insurer.
But a coordinated response against crime saw a reduction in the number of agricultural vehicle claims reported to NFU Mutual, which were down 9% to an estimated £10.7 million in 2023.
Northern Ireland
NFU Mutual regional manager for Northern Ireland, Martin Malone, said:
“Although we’ve seen a fall in the cost of rural crime in Northern Ireland, all the indications suggest rural crime is becoming more organised, sophisticated and determined in its nature, which is incredibly alarming for people who live and work in the countryside.
“Livestock theft in particular has become a highly organised crime, often involving 50 or more sheep being stolen in one raid.
“This crime can have a devasting effect on farming businesses, as well as causes huge worry to farmers about the welfare of their stolen animals.”
Malone said NFU Mutual knows that the impact of rural crime goes “well beyond” the practicalities of farming.
“It’s the unnerving feeling that criminals have boldly staked out and targeted farmyards and fields, often a few feet from the family home.
“It’s also living in fear of repeat attacks, knowing that thieves are always looking for new ways to target rural communities.
“That is why it’s so important for insurers, farmers, manufacturers, police and politicians to continue to work together to provide a united response to the challenge presented by both organised criminals and opportunistic thieves,” she outlined.
Malone said NFU Mutual will contine to support farmers directly to help protect their livelihoods, offer expertise as the main insurer of farmers and provide advice to tackle rural crime.
