A Devon farmer has expressed his devastation after 81 lambs vanished from his fields in Kenn, near Exeter. Richard Berry noticed the drop in numbers during shearing on Wednesday, and he believes the lambs were stolen. The missing lambs were a mix of Suffolks, Charollais, Texels, and crosses, and were larger than most commercial lambs.
According to Mr Berry, the theft is a significant blow to his farm as he has invested years in breeding these sheep. He is struggling to come to terms with the loss and is concerned about the vulnerability of farmers to livestock theft. 'We're so open, it's frustrating, how do you go about preventing this for the future?' he said.
The police are urging owners to review their security and be vigilant. They have also launched an investigation into the disappearance of the lambs, which follows a similar incident in Cornwall earlier this month. In that case, 64 ewes and lambs were believed to have been taken from land near the Halloon Roundabout.
The police are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area, particularly those who have seen vehicles such as livestock trailers or lorries gathering or moving sheep over the past few weeks. Mr Berry is holding onto the hope that the missing lambs may have been the result of a mistake, but it is increasingly looking like a deliberate act of theft.