Hundreds of pregnant sheep reported stolen from WA farm

More than 270 sheep have been reported stolen from a Pingrup Farm. (Supplied) The WA Rural Crime Team is investigating the theft of more than 270 pregnant ultra-white ewes from a farm in WA's Great Southern region. The sheep were reported stolen between the months of February and April. Detectives have asked for the public's help in the investigation, with the sheep estimated to be worth about $100,000. Link copiedShareShare articleAn investigation is underway after a farmer in Western Australia's Great Southern region reported that hundreds of sheep worth about $100,000 had been stolen from a Pingrup farm. The ultra-white sheep, a breed of self-shedding sheep, are used for meat production and are currently valued anywhere between $300 to $400 a head. More than 270 pregnant ultra-white ewes were taken from the Pingrup farm, about 360 kilometres south-east of Perth, between February and April. The theft is being investigated by the WA Rural Crime Team. Ultra-white sheep are breed of self-shedding sheep used for meat production. (Supplied) Detective Senior Constable Michael Le Poidevin said the discovery of the theft had hit the sheep's owner particularly hard. "These were some of the better stock as well, part of a breeding herd, and the big thing with ewes being pregnant as well, it's a huge hit," he said. Detective Le Poidevin said thefts were often conducted by others in the agriculture sector. (Supplied ) After the initial theft was discovered, a stocktake was conducted, which found that almost 1000 ultra-white sheep had gone missing from the same farm over 14 months. Detective Le Poidevin said police were following several leads, but believed it was likely orchestrated by people from within the agricultural industry. "Sheep stealing or any kind of livestock stealing — whether it be cattle, sheep, goats, or even the odd horse — unfortunately [tends to be by] these people who are in the livestock industry," he said. "People who have access to trucks, yards, sheepdogs … are the people who are in the best place to move the sheep, [so they] are also the kind of people who [tend to] steal the sheep." The rural crime team is investigating about a dozen sheep theft reports this year to date. (Supplied ) Detective Le Poidevin says the rise in prices from about $20 a head two years ago, to about $350 a head today, meant thefts that may have been ignored in the past were now being reported. "I have multiple investigations throughout the Great Southern at the moment, and we've had a bit of a mixed bag this year from the Great Southern, the Wheat Belt and some around the metro area," he said. Steve McGuire said changes to how livestock in WA were tagged would help with tracking stolen sheep. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding) WA Farmers Federation president Steve McGuire described the theft as brazen and opportunistic, likely connected to the dramatic rise in sheep prices. "People see a way to make an easy dollar." Ultra-white sheep are used for meat production and valued between $300 to $400 a head. (Supplied ) Mr McGuire said the incoming mandatory changes to how sheep and goats were registered under the state's electronic identification system (eID) would make counting and tracing stolen sheep easier. "If you cut a tag out of a sheep and replace it with your own, you've got to have a tag that you've gone and purchased, and that tag ought to be in the system," he said. "It's got to be the right colour and the right year. "If you're going to put a blue tag into a sheep now, when blue was two or three years ago, the question would be why are you buying blue tags now?" Changes to the eID system are due to come into effect on July 1. Mr McGuire said traceability should rise to about 90 per cent, but he would like that number to be higher. "It should do a lot … we're paying a lot of money to go down this road, so it should get us up to the high 90s," he said. "I'd personally like to see 99 per cent traceability." Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesA tropical tax paradise sells much of Australia's gasTopic:Energy Markets

Hundreds of pregnant sheep reported stolen from WA farm

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