The latest figures published by the PSNI show that agricultural crime in NI continues to be on an overall downward trend since the data was first collated in 2010/2011. In the 12 months to 30 June 2024 there were 208 cases of burglary, robbery and theft offences relating to agricultural-based activity in NI, a decrease of 29 when compared to the previous year. The most recent figure is the second lowest ever recorded, only beaten by the 196 cases from 2021/2022.

Back in 2010/2011 there were 937 offences and in the following three years, the total averaged 873, so the latest figures highlight the significant progress that has been made since then.

The 2024 rural crime report published by insurance company NFU Mutual also shows a positive trend, with the cost of rural crime in NI estimated at £2m in 2023, a 21.3% reduction on the £2.5m estimate for the previous year. However, the positive figures should not be a reason for complacency.

When the rural crime figures were high, farmers upped their game when it came to security around their yards.

It is still important to keep high-value items locked away at night and periodically check security systems are working as they should. It would also be reassuring to know that offenders are being caught, brought before the courts and punished for their crimes. It is one area where we rarely hear about convictions being secured.

Perhaps very few ever get caught or when they are convicted, it flies under the radar.

However, it is in stark contrast to when DAERA secures a conviction of a farmer for an offence relating to the likes of cattle tagging or silage effluent leaking into a river.

In those cases a press release is issued to all media outlets, adding a certain level of public humbling for the person in question. It probably acts as a deterrent, but it very rarely happens across all other government departments.