Investigated, charged and convicted. Sheep duffers revealed
Drones, dogs that don’t bark and purpose-built trailers are all tools of the trade which help livestock thieves steal huge amounts of sheep.
Talk is rife around the saleyards about who the perpetrators of sheep theft are in each district.
Yet very few people have been brought to justice for the crime that costs rural Australia millions.
Criminals are convicted daily through the legal system, but the perpetrators of stock theft rarely appear before court.
An analysis of Australia’s heists, convictions and penalties over the past decade shows one of the rural sector’s most costly crimes appears to go largely unpunished.
The theft of sheep has touched all states and territories, and there have been reports of large-scale operations with alleged duffings of up to 700 animals in one hit, in addition to plenty of smaller thefts of one or two sheep.
In fact, one recorded conviction relates to the theft of just two sheep, while no one has been brought to justice for the alleged theft of more than 1000 Merinos in Victoria in 2021.
Some farmers have had their livelihoods ruined due to rural crime, and those in the stud breeding industry haven’t been immune.
The National Livestock Identification Scheme and electronic tagging has given landholders and police an additional tool in reporting and solving rural crime, yet the incidences are still high.
The Victorian government’s crime statistics show that there were 106 incidences of reported sheep theft in 2014, escalating to 169 in 2018 and 180 in 2020 before dropping to 114 for the 12 months to March.
However, this number does not reflect the total number of sheep stolen but rather individual reports of theft.
NSW recorded crime statistics for 2018 to 2022 include all categories of livestock, not just sheep, with 321 incidences reported in 2021 compared to 254 in 2022.
Frustratingly for landholders, sheep theft continues to be a problem despite the best efforts of police and new and emerging technology, such as electronic tags and closed-circuit television surveillance.
Not all livestock theft is reported to police. There are social media pages and neighbourhood groups that have been increasingly vigilant in the fight against rural crime.
Despite the standard advice to check stock regularly and lock the gate, thieves still appear to find a workaround.
Those touched by rural crime have theories about purpose-built trailers being used. There are also rumours that dogs, which don’t bark are used to stealthily round up stock.
Some neighbourhood groups have circulated pictures of “suspicious” vehicles or trucks and there have been claims that potential thieves case out properties by using drones.
Under section 126 of the Crimes Act 1900, the maximum penalty for stealing sheep or cattle in Australia is 14 years in prison.
These are some of Australia’s biggest sheep thefts:
WESTERN DISTRICT DUFFERS TAKE 1100 SHEEP
Victoria Police investigated the alleged theft of 1100 sheep from four different properties in the Western Districts in December 2021. At the time, the Merinos were estimated to be worth about $255,000. The different thefts included 339 sheep from a Cavendish property plus 450 sheep from Lake Bolac. Another property owner from Clunes reported 240 sheep missing, and a Coleraine producer allegedly had 100 sheep stolen.
LOGAN THEFT NETS 700 EWES AND LAMBS
Members of the livestock industry called for tougher penalties for sheep duffing after 700 ewes and lambs were stolen from a farm in western Victoria between October 2022 and February 2023.
Police believe the 197 Merino ewes with purple ear tags and 493 white Suffolk-Merino cross lambs with red ear tags, in full wool and worth about $140,000, may have been transported interstate.
The theft occurred from a property on Gowar-Logan Rd at Logan between October 21, 2022 and February 1, 2023, and is understood to be the largest of its kind in Victoria in recent history.
Leading Senior Constable Dan O’Bree said the theft was noticed when the sheep were gathered to be shorn, and the mob of 1800 had been reduced to 1100.
THIEVES TAKE 350 DORPERS FROM MUNDOWY LANE PROPERTY
The theft of more than 350 sheep from a Mundowy Lane property near Wagga Wagga in March this year in southern NSW raised more than a few suspicions with landholder Paul Funnell.
Mr Funnell estimated the theft cost him more than $150,000, plus lost earnings potential of $400,000 to $500,000 over the next four years.
He confirmed Rural Crime Investigators from NSW Police and forensics had visited his property twice after the sheep were stolen and two of his alpacas were shot.
“You could clearly see the wheel tracks of a semi-trailer near the sheep yards,” he said.
“Somebody knows something.”
Mr Funnell has called out to meat buyers, livestock agents, livestock carriers and other farmers and landholders to be on the lookout for his Dorper ewes and lambs.
In addition to the 350 ewes, there were 12 rams taken.
“To do what these people have done means they were not scared of violence,” he said.
“They need to be held to account.”
Mr Funnell said he reported all the information to the police.
He said it was likely the sheep were taken somewhere and had their National Livestock Identification Scheme tags removed. The tags had the number: NH553101.
BOMBALA, NSW HEIST NETS 200 MERINO WETHERS
Police are still seeking information from the public to help locate 200 Merino wethers reported stolen from Bombala in NSW in February this year. The mulesed wethers were reported missing from a rural property on Delegate Rd at Bombala and had green and orange National Livestock Identification Scheme tags, NB060533.
THIEVES STEAL 289 MERINO EWES FROM HARDEN, NSW
The alleged theft of 289 Merino ewes from a property near Harden in NSW was reported to police in December 2022. NSW Police said a theft of this magnitude would have had a considerable financial and psychological impact on the victim and the rural community as a whole.
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LANDHOLDERS REPORT 270 SHEEP STOLEN
About 270 sheep were reported stolen from Lock, Murdinga and Tooligie in South Australia in April 2018. At the time, South Australian Police said thieves appeared to be targeting Merino ewe hoggets and had been taking them in loads of 40 to 60. All of the sheep reported stolen were tagged and earmarked.
CONVICTIONS RECORDED AFTER JUNEE, NSW SHEEP THEFT
Former Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan was one of the farmers who had sheep stolen from Junee in southern NSW in 2015. He had one sheep confirmed stolen.
The theft resulted in the conviction of two men, James Thomas Flakelar and Blake John Cowled, in Wagga Wagga Local Court.
The pair faced multiple charges relating to theft of livestock and other farming equipment from properties near Junee, Sebastopol and Big Springs.
It was documented in Wagga Wagga Local Court that the men stole 170 sheep from David Fife and 92 sheep from a Temora district grazier during the previous winter. They also stole sheep yards and feeders.
The court heard the maximum penalty for stealing livestock was 14 years jail, but if suitable for an intensive correction orders, Cowled and Flakelar would serve their custodial sentences in the community.
In October 2015 Magistrate Kennedy said there was no reason why both men should not be able to rehabilitate. She handed down ICOs of 13 months and 14 months respectively to Mr Flakelar and Mr Cowled.
DUFFERS CLAIM 85 STUD POLL DORSET EWES
Poll Dorset breeder Garry Armstrong of Marrar in southern NSW reported $100,000 worth of stock stolen in March 2018.
Principal of the Armdale Park Poll Dorset Stud, Mr Armstrong said 85 ewes were taken from his property during the week that coincided with Royal Canberra Show.
The stud ewes fitted with national livestock identification scheme tags were scanned in lamb, with many carrying twins, and had an estimated market value of $100,000.
POLICE INVESTIGATE SNOWY MOUNTAINS THEFT OF 53 HOGGETS
Two separate incidences of theft of 53 Merino hoggets from Kosciuszko Rd at Avonside were reported to police in December 2022.
Police said the sheep were allegedly stolen between September 2022 and December 2022.
The ewes have a yellow National Livestock Identification Scheme tag labelled Romani and NH630488.
TOTAL OF 33 AUSSIE WHITES STOLEN FROM SOUTHERN NSW PROPERTY
Police continue to investigate the theft of 33 Aussie White ewes from a Wagga Wagga property.
Aussie White sheep have made headlines for achieving record prices in recent times, with a ram from Tattykeel Stud at Oberon selling for an Australian record of $240,000 in September last year.
NSW Rural Crime Investigator Detective Senior Constable Paul Clancy described the incident, believed to have occurred in February 2023, as “opportunistic”.
It is believed the property was accessed through Pomingalarna Reserve, which was opened to vehicles at that point in time to mitigate the effect of local flooding.
The ewes were tagged with yellow electronic NLIS tags containing the PIC NB551236 and were earmarked with a ‘C’ out of the back of the nearside ear.
SMALL CRIME, BIG IMPACT
While large sheep heists receive media attention, thefts of smaller numbers of stock can be just as devastating for farmers. As recently as the past month, animals have been reported stolen from properties in NSW.
MERRIWA LAMBS REPORTED STOLEN
Rural Crime Investigators from the Hunter Valley District in NSW are investigating the alleged theft of eight lambs from a property at Lowlers Lane, Merriwa.
It is believed that between 8.30pm on Thursday, August 17 and 6am on Friday, August 18, eight Aussie White lambs were stolen from a paddock adjacent to the roadway. Investigators urge anyone with information to contact Muswellbrook Police Station on (02) 6542 6999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
DORPERS MAY HAVE BEEN BUTCHERED IN THE NEW ENGLAND
The New England Rural Crime Prevention Team are investigating the ongoing theft of small numbers of sheep from the same property near the Mount Russell village.
Rural Crime Investigators believe the sheep may have been killed and butchered.
The sheep are described as mixed age black headed Dorper ewes.
They contain an earmark of a W from the top and bottom of the ear. The sheep also contain visual and electronic eartags of varying colours. The visual eartags have “MCD” and a number printed.
TWO TOO MANY …
Ironically one of the few recorded court convictions for sheep theft came in 2012 when a man from Marrar in southern NSW was found guilty of stealing two Dorper ewes from Coolamon.
Steven James Atkins was convicted of stealing sheep after failing to appear in Wagga Wagga Local Court.
Court documents alleged that Mr Atkins, 34, at the time, stole two Dorper ewes in a bid to settle a debt. It’s alleged that there was a dispute over payment for horse agistment and as a result he decided to take the sheep, before later offering to return them.
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