Mystery as three dozen cows go missing

An Ashburton dairy farmer is concerned after 36 of her cows have mysteriously gone missing

An Ashburton farm owner is absolutely floored and sickened by the disappearance of three dozen dairy cows from her farm.

Staff noticed their absence after milk production became abnormally low.

The milking shed tracking system showed the herd disappeared between Monday and Wednesday last week.

Farm Owner Jill Quigley believes the cows were taken on two separate occasions, with around nineteen stolen the first time, before thieves returned to take the rest.

Mrs Quigley has tried ringing every transport operator in case they know something, but has had no luck. She said with no sign of the cows having been walked off the farm either, their removal remains a complete mystery.

She is worried the cows aren't being properly looked after by their abductors and is deeply concerned for their welfare.

Federated Farmers has also weighed in with advise for farmers who might be concerned about thieves on their property.

North Canterbury Dairy Chair Cameron Henderson urged farmers to ensure their land had secure boundaries and to keep an eye out for any vehicles, particularly at night.

Mr Henderson said another alternative to ear tagging, which was used by the owners at Ashburton farm was genetic testing.

"Farms with DNA testing on their stock have absolute proof whether the animals belong to them or not, obviously you can't change an animal's DNA so if you have records in your system it's very easy to test those animals and prove they are yours."

Mr Henderson says there was still an element of tractability with ears tags as animals need to have them in order to be sold. Those who remove the ear tags would also need to be registered to buy new ones.

Ashburton police are currently looking for members of the public to come forward with any information on the case and an enquiry is underway.