Look, lock and secure

It was reported this week that around 170 sheep had been stolen from a farm in Canterbury. Federated Farmers estimates stock rustling costs New Zealand farming $120 million a year.

Federated Farmers Rotorua provincial president Alan Wills thinks farmers need to be "a lot more security conscious" about their property - and he spoke from recent bitter experience, after suffering a burglary on his own farm last month.

"We have to lock what we can, secure what we can," Mr Wills said. "No one is going to protect [farmers' property] except ourselves."

He had been away for the weekend when thieves crowbarred open a locked door and plundered a freezer containing top-quality meat.

Mr Wills said he would now be putting a deadlock on the door and chaining up the freezer, and admitted that it was difficult to ensure 100 per cent security on farms.

"We are pretty vulnerable with a lot of sheds that are in some respects difficult to secure."

But Mr Wills did have a few suggestions for improving general security, such as noting down the registration number of any unfamiliar vehicles coming onto the property, and making sure staff were aware of potential risks.

"Dairy farmers especially have got a lot of staff," Mr Wills said.

"It's just about everyone being conscious of their own environment."

Senior Constable Jude Clifton, who covers the Reporoa area, emphasised the importance of locking and securing all doors and equipment to "make it as difficult as possible" for any would-be thieves. She also suggested keeping good records of any vehicle serial numbers in case of a theft.

"Farmers are normally pretty good [with security]," she said, "but the environment is pretty vulnerable."

She admitted that stock could be more difficult to secure, especially on sheep farms, and said farmers should watch out for any suspicious vehicle activity on the roads surrounding the farm.

Reassure

Whether it is stock, meat or equipment, property stolen from farms normally falls into two main categories: things intended for personal use or consumption, or goods to be sold for profit.

While rustling is treated as general theft by the justice system, someone accused of selling meat on the black market can be charged under the Animal Products Act, facing up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Federated Farmers has estimated that stock rustling alone costs New Zealand farming up to $120 million a year, and say many thefts from farms go unreported.

Provincial president Alan Wills said it was important to report any theft from the farm, but that it was sometimes difficult to know immediately when one had taken place.

"You don't realise you have been burgled until you go looking for something," he said.

Most farmers have insurance to cover any losses suffered from theft, but it is still important to follow correct security procedures.

"If you think to yourself, 'that this is too easy for someone to steal it', chances are you're right," said Anaru McCrae, manager at the Rotorua branch of AMI Insurance.

"I've heard a number of creative ways people go to try and protect their equipment, but still fail to do the basics like locking things up and storing the keys somewhere safe."

Mr McCrae said farmers should try to keep their insurance provider updated with any changes on the property, such as new equipment, to make sure their policy was still valid.

And having a good working relationship with insurance providers helped to reassure farmers their business needs were being met.

"Farmers and farm owners are running multi-million dollar businesses ... having a robust and comprehensive insurance program goes a long way to managing risk," Mr McCrae said.