Farms with quad bikes on display and poor security measures are easy targets for thieves, Eastern Bay police warn.
Whakatane Senior Sergeant Bruce Jenkins told The Daily Post farmers needed to get serious about their property if they were to tackle opportunistic rural thieves.
"We have had a total of 69 bikes - quad, farm and other types - stolen in the year to date," Mr Jenkins said.
"The majority were taken overnight from farm properties and sheds."
Many were unregistered, Mr Jenkins said.
"They need to note down their details ... and lock them away."
Stock, diesel and chainsaws were also hot items for thieves in the area.
Mr Jenkins said installing basic security measures, like gate locks would minimise risk, keeping farms safe.
Stock thefts by rustlers had also hit the Eastern Bay region, he said. New Zealand's national farming body has lashed out at the underground meat trade for fuelling stock thefts and selling unsafe meat.
Federated Farmers president Bruce Wills said those participating in the "pub trade" were to blame for rustling.
"The most distressing thing we have is the theft of our animals.
"It is a constant issue and a constant concern for rural New Zealand."
Mr Wills, a Hawkes Bay farmer, said rustling was sometimes carried out by gangs, often armed with guns and knives. It usually happened in waves and was punishing for any farmer.
"A good ewe is $100-plus and a good cattle beast is easily $1000-plus.
"So it's a significant financial loss to farmers, but it's also the emotional cost."
There had been incidences where farmers had found their own animals butchered and strewn across paddocks, Mr Wills said.
"Others have walked out to see someone shooting up their animals [and this is] what they use to make a living, what they need to pay the mortgage."
He warned those buying into the "hot meat" market, which was popular in pubs for its cheap prices, were taking a serious health risk.
"We are required to keep detailed record about any animal remedies and drenching we give.
"There are strict protocols about when we sell animals [and] there are things we call withholding periods, which prevent us from selling animals within a certain period to being drenched and receiving remedies."
Meat from rustled animals could contain drenching chemicals, posing a serious risk to human health, he said.
And in an effort to combat rustling gangs, a formal agreement between the Federated Farmers and police was signed last year.
"We now have a memorandum of understanding with the New Zealand police," Mr Wills said.
"Farmers need to be vigilant and report any stock which has gone missing or been taken.
"This is important as many farmers hesitate to report crimes to police, which makes it difficult to gauge how big the problem is.
"And under no circumstances, should farmers take the law into their own hands as they [rustling gangs] often come armed with guns, knives and dogs," he said.
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