The cost of rural theft in Oxfordshire fell nearly 15 per cent to an estimated £675,000 in 2020, according to figures released today by leading rural insurer NFU Mutual.

But organised criminal gangs also continued to target farmyards.

In its Rural Crime Report, published today (Tuesday 3 August), NFU Mutual reveals that rural theft cost the South East region an estimated £7.1m in 2020, a 19 per cent decrease from the previous year.

Across the whole of the UK, the 2020 rural theft bill totalled an estimated £43.3million in 2020, a fall of 20.3 per cent on the previous year, making it the lowest annual cost recorded in five years.

However, highly-organised criminals continued to plague Oxfordshire’s farmyards over the pandemic, stealing high-value farming Global Positioning Systems, agricultural vehicles and tools. 

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Thieves got more ‘bang for their buck’ as they turned their focus onto smaller, high-value targets over the pandemic including farming Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

Without GPS – an essential part of modern farming – harvests can be delayed, and some farmers left unable to work.

NFU Mutual saw the UK-wide cost of claims for GPS almost double last year to £2.9million, as demand across the globe fuelled the crime wave.

Other rural crimes, including dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping rose sharply across the UK. 

The value of sheep and cattle attacked by dogs shot up by 10 per cent in 2020 to £1.3million in a year which saw a surge in pet ownership and countryside visits.

The situation continues to worsen as NFU Mutual claims data shows the cost of attacks rose 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year.

Fly-tipping in fields, gateways and country lanes reached epidemic proportions as waste recycling centres restricted access, leaving farmers to deal with the clean-up and risks to their health and that of their livestock and the environment.

Across English regions, the decrease in cost in the South East (-19%) was broadly in line with the national picture (-20.3%).

Harvey Merrins, NFU Mutual Agent in Witney, said: “Coronavirus restrictions, beefed-up security on farms and rural policing provided a welcome fall in rural thefts last year.

“While lockdown may have locked some criminals out of the countryside – rural crime hasn’t gone away. Thieves are now returning armed with new tactics and targets. 

"As the economic impact of the pandemic bites, we are very concerned that rural theft may escalate significantly.

“Last year saw sharp rises in other crimes such as dog attacks on livestock which caused appalling suffering to farm animals and huge anxiety for farmers and their families as they dealt with the aftermath.

“Organised criminal gangs also continued to target farmyards for high-value GPS systems, quad bikes and tractors with the UK cost of agricultural vehicle theft remaining at over £9million - only a 2 per cent drop in cost from 2019.

“There’s no doubt that when we work together with police, farmers, communities and other rural organisations to tackle rural crime it can make a real difference. That’s why we’re investing over £430,000 in carefully targeted rural security schemes this year.

"The extra funding will help police join forces with local farmers, set up covert operations and recover more stolen machinery from countries across Europe."