'Farms being raided': Rural crime in Wales blighting struggling farmers

The cost of rural crime in Wales is at its highest in more than a decade, a new report has revealed.

Last year, rural crime cost an estimated £2.8m in Wales, according to insurance provider NFU Mutual. That's an 18% increase on the previous year, with Wales the only UK nation to have seen a rise.

For farmers like Caryl Davies, that makes their work harder. The 21-year-old farms on a beef and sheep farm in Pembrokeshire.

She told Sky News that having the quad bike stolen from her family farm last August had made them feel "really unsafe at home". The fact it happened in such a rural area was a "really big shock" for Ms Davies and her family.

"We'd rely on the bike day in day out, to look after our cows and sheep, and it's had a really negative impact on us," she said. The cost of replacing a bike exactly like theirs would be "close to £10,000".

"They're a really expensive piece of kit, but you can't be without them, especially in these rural areas where we've got the mountain and maybe places that aren't very accessible," she added. "The bike is totally crucial for our day-to-day running of the farm." The incident was caught on camera in the calving shed, but the Davies family have since invested in an enhanced CCTV system.

That comes at an additional cost. "For some farmers, this is spare money that we haven't really got," Ms Davies added.

"Farming is hard enough as it is, without people stealing your things and having to spend this extra money on making your home farm safe." The total cost of rural crime across the UK has fallen since 2023 - down from £52.8m to £44.1m. Quad bike and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) remained the top target for thieves during the past year, NFU Mutual's figures show.

James Bourne farms in Pontypool, Torfaen, and claims to have had over 200 sheep stolen from common land adjoining his farm over a four-year period. The 32-year-old told Sky News that losing sheep from his herd was a "big hit" on his business as well as the young family he is trying to support.

"The way agriculture is at the moment anyway, we're struggling to make ends meet, and any profit that is in it is obviously being taken from me," he said. "So I really need to try and find out and get to the bottom of where they're going because obviously it's an ongoing issue." Andrew Chalk, from NFU Mutual, told Sky News that while there had been a "significant drop" across the UK, there were "worrying signs".

"In Wales, especially, rural crime's gone up which just shows that organised criminals are looking for ways to target the countryside again and again," he said. "What we've found increasingly is that organised criminals are targeting certain areas of the countryside, so they're hitting multiple farms in one night.

"They're raiding them, they're moving away to another area and then hitting multiple farms there. So it is hugely concerning." Mr Chalk said NFU Mutual had also heard reports of criminals using drones and other equipment to "look at the lay of the land".

"What it does show is that organised criminals are always going to find new ways to target rural crime and that's why we need to be on top of it and to work together to actually disrupt them," he added. Police forces in Wales say they are aware of the "significant impact" that rural crimes have on those affected.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said the force had acquired new technology to help combat rural crime, including "advanced DNA asset-marking kits" and hopes to "empower farmers with effective tools and advice". Read more:South Wales road opens after 23 years of roadworksWales's first minister hails spending review as 'big win' The spokesperson acknowledged the difficulty of patrolling the entire police force area, "given the huge area" it has to cover, and thanked rural communities for their "continuing vigilance and for reporting any suspicious activity".

Temporary Chief Superintendent Jason White, from Gwent Police, said the force would be "increasing resources" within the rural crime team throughout this financial year and urged anyone in a rural area who believes they have been a victim of crime to get in touch..