Early Autumn countryside morning,Northern Ireland
Commodity Watch written by UFU policy officer Daniel Toft
Rural crime can have a devastating impact on farm families and businesses. Whether it is the theft of machinery, livestock or GPS equipment, trespass and criminal damage, scams and fraud, suspicious activity, or organised criminality, farmers need to know their concerns are being heard and acted upon. That is why tackling rural crime remains an important area of work for the Ulster Farmers’ Union.
The nature of rural crime continues to change. What was once viewed as opportunistic theft increasingly involves sophisticated and organised criminals capable of identifying valuable equipment, targeting isolated rural properties, and moving stolen goods quickly across the border.
The latest NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report shows why complacency is not an option. Although the estimated UK-wide cost of rural crime fell by 6% to £41.5 million during 2025, Northern Ireland moved in the opposite direction. The estimated cost here rose by 24% from £1.8 million in 2024 to £2.2 million in 2025, showing we are moving against the wider UK trend. The report also shows that agricultural vehicle theft claims rose by 18% to £8.3 million, while the cost of quad bike and ATV theft surged by 31% to £3.5 million, and livestock theft rose by almost 30% to £4.5 million.
For the UFU, these staggering figures reinforce the importance of effective partnership working translated into actions for stakeholders, not just talking shops. We continue to engage closely with the PSNI, both at a Northern Ireland-wide level and through our local structures. Our groups, local representatives, and headquarters all have a role to play in ensuring that concerns from farmers are raised directly with the police and that emerging issues are identified quickly.
The UFU also represents farm families through the NI Rural Crime Partnership, working with the PSNI, government departments, NFU Mutual, and other stakeholders to improve coordination, share intelligence, and ensure that rural crime remains a priority for the NI Executive and PSNI. A central message from this work is the need to report incidents. NFU Mutual’s report highlights that a significant proportion of rural crime still goes unreported, which makes it much more difficult for the PSNI to understand the true scale of the problem and thereby justify further policing resources being directed to rural areas.
Even where an incident appears minor, reporting it can help build a wider intelligence picture. Suspicious vehicles, attempted theft, unusual callers, or repeated trespass may all form part of a pattern that is only visible once information from different areas is brought together. Many farm families have little faith that a report will lead to any action, but this merely creates a vicious circle whereby a lack of reporting means policing resources and policy attention are diverted elsewhere, leading to a lack of enforcement against rural crime and the continued prevalence of it.
The UFU’s work is also increasingly cross-border and international. Earlier this year and since, we have participated in the establishment of a European Rural Crime Network, starting with a UK and Ireland workshop at Maynooth University, which brought those working together against rural crime from across different jurisdictions, such as police forces, local authorities, devolved governments, and others, to examine opportunities for funding for projects, lobbying, and working together. This is particularly relevant to us, where organised criminals frequently exploit the border to move machinery, livestock and other goods quickly. The UFU is therefore continuing to build its relationship, both with the Irish Farmers’ Association on cross-border rural crime, and the UK Rural Crime Network, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between farming organisations and relevant authorities across the islands.
Our rural crime work also extends beyond traditional theft. Members continue to raise concerns around trespass, criminal damage, scams, fraud, suspicious callers, and other forms of illegal activity affecting farms and rural businesses. The NFU Mutual report itself highlights the impact of trespassing – which can be a legal minefield, fly-tipping, and other forms of anti-social and criminal behaviour.
Looking ahead, the UFU is also preparing for the next NI Assembly election in May 2027. Rural crime must not be treated as an issue which receives attention during Rural Crime Week and is then forgotten, and we will continue pressing political parties and the next Executive to recognise the particular policing and justice challenges faced by rural communities to ensure that it receives the attention and resources it deserves. A part of this problem is incoherent legislation, whereby a number of relatively small legislative changes will have a big impact on enforcement operations. We will present our recommendations to the political parties ahead of the next election as part of our manifesto.
The UFU will continue working at pace with the PSNI, Rural Crime Partnership, government, and other stakeholders to strengthen responses to rural crime, but farm families have an important role to play. If you are the victim of a crime, report it every time. If you see suspicious activity, report it. If there is a recurring issue in your area, raise it in your local UFU group. The more information that is available, the stronger the case becomes for action and resources.
Read more on Rural Crime Week:
