Rural crime is something that we hear about all too often from our members across Wales. It continues to wreak havoc on our rural communities and working farms and is a constant worry for our members who predominantly live in isolated areas. Farmers and those living in rural areas often feel forgotten when it comes to rural crime. For a lot of farmers, they feel like they're not being heard, which is incredibly frustrating.

The latest figures from rural insurer NFU Mutual show that in the last year, the cost of rural crime here in Wales has risen by 6.7%, from £2.3 million in 2022 to £2.4 million in 2023. These figures are estimated, but show that throughout the UK, the total cost of rural crime rose above £50 million.

In a sign of the increasing organisation and sophistication of criminals, GPS units were one of the main targets for 2023, causing the value of claims to NFU Mutual to rocket by 137%. Intelligence shows that thieves frequently target several farms in one night before moving locations to steal these highly valuable and portable kits, often revisiting farmyards weeks later to steal any replacements.

Quad bikes and ATVs were also top targets for rural thieves, with thefts up 9%. Livestock theft also remains high at an estimated cost of £2.7 million across the UK. Livestock worrying, whether that be animals being severely injured or killed on dog attacks also rose 30% on the previous year.

Rural crime not only has an impact on farm businesses in terms of financial loss and disrupting farmers ability to work, it also has an impact on the mental health of many farmers. From feeling like you are being watched, to not feeling safe in your home, it can make many feel very isolated and alone.

That is why, in our Manifesto before the recent General Election, we asked that there is a consistent and co-ordinated response to rural crime across police forces, including fair funding for rural policing, and a dedicated rural crime team in every police force area.

We asked for stiffer sentences for offenders in order to act as a deterrent. We urged Ministers to make full use of the powers given to them in the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to widen the scope of the legislation.

Finally, we said we would like to see the law strengthened when it comes to attacks on livestock by dogs, with increased fines for owners whose dogs attack livestock, a clear requirement that dogs should be kept on a lead around livestock, and increased powers for the police including the power to obtain DNA samples from dogs believed to have attacked livestock.

We have good links with the Wildlife and Rural Crime Co-ordinator for Wales and Rural Crime Teams from across Wales, and we were pleased to meet with them again at the recent Royal Welsh Show and recognise the good work that they do. We will continue to work with them to help tackle this growing problem.