Glamorgan NFU Cymru members met with Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, who also holds the Rural Affairs portfolio in the Senedd, along with South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Emma Wools. The meeting, convened by NFU Cymru, was also attended by several officers and staff from South Wales Police.
Farmers at the recent meeting in Cowbridge gave an account of the wide variety of criminal activity they had fallen victim to. The issues discussed during the meeting included:
- Theft
- Wounding and killing of livestock
- Hare coursing
- Fly-tipping
- Off-roading
- Damage to property.
Some of the most serious recent incidents recounted by farmers during the meeting included:
- Joyriders on common land who collided with an in-calf cow, killing the animal and its unborn calf.
- Trespassers smashing the windows of a farm vehicle and threatening the owner.
- Hare coursers destroying four field gates in a single evening to gain access to land.
- Persistent fly-tipping on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
- A group of farmers within a six mile radius had experienced 74 incidents of trespass on their farms in a 12-month period, with damage caused to property and crops, along with livestock worrying and hare coursing.
Response time of officers
NFU Cymru members voiced their frustration at the response time of officers to attend incidents on their farms. Some expressed that such was the level of crime and violence, that they didn’t feel safe in their own homes. Given the breadth and severity of the issues members are facing, NFU Cymru has again called on South Wales Police to establish a dedicated rural crime team to help stamp out these issues. The union is also calling for tougher action against those carrying out criminal activity in the countryside.
South Wales PCC Emma Wools and South Wales Police committed to working with the union and farmers. The message was reinforced that farmers must continue to report incidents, either online or by calling 101 or 999, to ensure the force can establish patterns and can gain an accurate picture of the problem.
NFU Cymru Glamorgan County Chairman Tom Rees said: “I’m grateful that the Deputy First Minister, the PCC and South Wales Police have engaged with us on these serious matters. For a large portion of farmers, the farm is not just their place of work, but it’s also their home. No-one should be having to live and farm in constant fear of theft, damage or violence.
“While the farmers in attendance were full of praise for a local officer and his work in the area, from listening to the worrying incidents we’ve heard at today’s meeting, we think there is a compelling argument that more resource is needed to stamp out these recurring incidents. We also believe South Wales Police should align with the other three Welsh police forces in introducing a rural crime team, with officers trained in handling the types of incidents we’re facing.
“The volume and frequency of these incidents also indicate that the potential penalties facing those carrying out these criminal acts are not enough of a deterrent to curb the problem. We want to see police and policymakers working with farmers on these issues and ensure that those who are apprehended face more appropriate punishment.”