THE rural community can expect to see a crack down on livestock movements with “regular inspectors at saleyards”, spot checks of vehicles by police across the Great Southern and fines for non-compliance with Waybill and National Vendor Declaration (NVDs) requirements, after stakeholders gathered to discuss the issue at the Livestock Theft Forum held at Katanning last week.
While there has been no successful prosecution for livestock thefts to date, police and the agriculture industry have come together to find a solution to the increasing problem that is costing the WA livestock industry millions of dollars.
Police were out in force at the Katanning Regional Sheep Saleyards, with eight officers, including former Stock Squad detectives, participating in the discussion.
The forum was attended by about 60 producers, WAFarmers, the Pastoralists and Graziers Association, Elders, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), the Katanning Shire and saleyards representatives.
The forum was organised by Broomehill farmer Scott Thompson who had 50 to 60 sheep stolen from his property.
Mr Thompson said he wanted an outcome from the meeting – something that could be actioned to improve the current situation that was plaguing the industry.
It was clear from police that a dedicated Stock Squad wouldn’t be reinstated to deal with the issue, but that local police were the best port of call to handle reports and initiate any investigations into alleged thefts.
WA Police detective inspector Mark Twamley, Great Southern, said there had been about 26 individual reports of stock theft in the Great Southern region – but the number wasn’t an accurate figure.
“We know there has been a lot more (incidents) than that,” Mr Twamley said.
“If you think you have had stock stolen let us know, we need information from the public.”
He said the high price of wool and meat was a factor in the increased number of incidents, and from the reports submitted it was hard to narrow down when the sheep had been stolen – citing the length of time (three to five months) in between musters – and with stock being able to be disposed of within a few days they were difficult to track down.
“Proactively there is a lot of work we can do to make you less a victim of crime and more resilient and robust against these thefts,” Mr Twamley said.
“If you see something say something.
“Get to know the local police officers so they get to know the industry and on-farm practices better.”
He said the Stock Squad was abandoned in 2008 but WA Police maintained the ability to investigate livestock thefts with its 1500 officers across the regions.
He said identification of stock was the number one issue – because if any charges were to be laid they would “need to prove that they were your sheep”.
“It helps us investigate,” Mr Twamley said.
Although the meeting was not about compliance to industry standards – it was raised as an important aspect of the identification process.
“The paper trail all helps,” he said.
“As well as accurate counts during shearing, crutching, every six months or whenever you get stock in.”
Mr Twamley said farmers should lock their gates, especially if they were on a main road, because “some sort of deterrent is better than nothing at all”.
Technology such as drones and heat sensor cameras could also play a part in monitoring livestock and the surveillance of vehicles entering the property from remote locations.
He said some farmers, “for whatever reason”, were not reporting their stock stolen – which didn’t help them.
In one instance a victim of stock theft didn’t wish to proceed with pressing charges on the alleged individual due to how it would be perceived among associates and clients within the industry – which was not only a disappointment to police but also highlighted another challenge to the issue.
During the discussion some positive results were mentioned, in particular that the Katanning Shire, working in conjunction with police, had “shutdown a backyard abattoir” at Katanning.
Police have also been “instructed to stop livestock transport vehicles to check earmarks” – and “training was being provided to police officers to upskill in this regards”.
Regular spot checks would also be carried out across the Great Southern on vehicles that could carry livestock.
While it was clear that the regulations around animal movement and penalties for non-compliance were already in place – DPIRD lacked the resources to enforce compliance across the whole supply chain – thus the reason for “the onus being on the producer” to ensure that things were being done correctly.
DPIRD senior compliance officer-livestock biosecurity Mike Donaghy, also a former police officer, made a presentation on the importance of identification and the traceability of livestock, encouraging proper earmarking practices and filling out Waybill and NVD forms properly.
He said producers were not updating their National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) database soon enough by “transferring the details onto the database when buying in sheep”.
He also encouraged producers to do a police check for staff on the farm – as other jobs required it now also.
Beth Green from DPIRD, Bunbury, said there was a case before the courts for a breach of earmark, and DPIRD would also be prosecuting for Waybill and NVD offences.
Ms Green said the new NVD forms, which will be available in December, would have a destination Property Identification Code (PIC) space for WA producers, which hasn’t been available in the past, but would meet State requirements.
