Livestock theft: Farmer James Brook calls for action in Strathbogie area

These farmers in Victoria’s hardest hit region know all too well the pain of livestock theft and say more needs to be done. But the Victorian Government stands by its current work.

Livestock farmer James Brook has had sheep more than once and wants more done to stop thieves in the area. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Locksley sheep farmers Steve and James Brook have experienced first-hand the pain of livestock theft in the Strathbogie region – Victoria’s hardest hit area.

Over the past two years they’ve been targeted multiple times by opportunistic thieves, stealing 235 sheep, worth about $47,000, and say it’s time more was done.

“In the first instance, we need to raise awareness,” James Brook said. “In Strathbogie it is something that is prevalent and people need to know it’s happening – we can’t assume this is just bad luck.”

James Brook and his father Steve on their Locksley property, with kelpies Tony and Scout. Picture: Zoe Phillips

The latest Crime Statistics Agency data revealed 20 livestock theft offences in Strathbogie for the year ending March 2021, nine the year before and 10 the year before that – consistently one of the hardest hit local government areas in the state.

Corangamite, Pyrenees and Southern Grampians were also up there.

Mr Brook said he knew of other farmers who had started realising missing livestock in small numbers, which made it harder to notice, but said eventually the cost of the thefts add up.

“It is affecting people’s ability to farm and actually survive,” Mr Brook said.

While the Brook family have implemented a few changes on their property to reduce the thefts, including adding cameras to less visible areas and adding padlocks to gates with road access, they’re calling on leaders to step up.

“Governments at any level need to put more resources into solving these issues – police often don’t have the means,” James Brook said.

The Victorian Nationals reiterated that call.

“Farmers across my region are at their wits end with farm and livestock theft,” Nationals deputy leader and Euroa MP Steph Ryan said.

“It is clear that our local police do not have the resources to prevent costly stock and machinery theft”.

The Weekly Times asked Victoria’s Acting Police Minister Danny Pearson and Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas whether more would be done to deal with the prevalence of livestock theft.

Both ministers’ offices stood by the existing Farm Crime Coordination Unit, despite significantly low prosecutions (only four arrests of 282 livestock theft offences in the year to March 2021) and no reduction in livestock theft since it was established in 2019.

“We know the cost and time of replacing these items and livestock has significant impacts on farmers, which is why our Farm Crime Coordination Unit is hard at work every day proactively policing these kind of offences in regional Victoria,” a Victorian Government spokeswoman said.