Childers farmers call for state government action on theft and vandalism

A group of farmers have made a passionate plea to the state government for “immediate action” on the issue of farm theft and trespassing.

A group of Childers farmers including Jeff Plath have made a passionate plea to the state government for “immediate action” on the issue of farm theft and trespassing.

A group of farmers have made a passionate plea to the state government for “immediate action” on the issue of farm theft and trespassing.

Childers soy bean farmer Jeff Plath said in a statement on Monday people entered his property and neighbouring farms over the Easter long weekend, vandalised property and stole farm equipment.

The Easter weekend crime spree involved thieves dismantling equipment for parts to sell for scrap metal, rendering the equipment useless and leaving farmers unable to grow their crops, Mr Plath said.

“The items being stolen these days would never, ever, ever have been considered of any value in the past and have been used on local farms for decades without any theft or vandalism,” he said.

A group of farmers have made a passionate plea to the state government calling for “immediate action” on the issue of farm theft and trespassing.

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“We’re calling on Wide Bay MPs Bruce Saunders and Tom Smith to outline a concrete, measurable plan for addressing cost of living pressures and curbing increasing rates of crime in our region.

“It is abundantly clear that people are struggling to put fuel in their cars and keep the lights on so they are turning to desperate acts of theft to supplement their income,” he said.

Mr Plath said the state bail system was “too weak.”

Childers farmer Jeff Plath. Photo: Max Fleet / NewsMail

Fellow Childers farmer Jamie Hansen also called for a plan for tackling cost-of-living pressures and farm theft.

“Dealing with the fallout of ongoing trespassing, vandalism and theft on our farms takes a real toll on the farming community, physically, mentally and financially,” Mr Hansen said.

“Farmers are unable to undertake their important farm work because they’re busy dealing with police, collecting evidence, rectifying the damage and then desperately trying to figure out how to grow their crops without vital equipment,” he said.

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Mr Plath said when vital pieces of equipment were damaged or stolen, farmers were unable to resume farm work until the equipment was fixed or replaced.

“This could take weeks to remedy, meanwhile our means of earning an income is at risk because we can’t perform crucial farming operations,” he said.

The group of farmers said police efforts have been “excellent” but thieves continued to plague local farms.