Play your part to curb stock theft, helpful hints to prevent stock theft #Rural…

Play your part to curb stock theft, helpful hints to prevent stock theft
#RuralSafety #StockTheft #SafetyFriday

Stock theft is becoming more prevalent in the #FestiveSeason, threatening the sustainability of the country’s livestock industry as many farmers rely on livestock as a source of income.

It is imperative to implement and apply safety measures to prevent theft of livestock.

• Livestock owners should ensure that all fences and gates
are kept in good working order, to protect their livestock.
Consider employing a specially trained employee to patrol
the fences daily. He/she can ensure that holes in and
under fences are repaired immediately. Inspect these
reparations yourself.

• Loading ramps in paddocks or on farms away from direct
supervision, should be kept locked or obstructed at all
times.

• Prevent stolen animals from being hidden on your
property. Stock posts serve as ideal overnight stopovers
to hide stolen livestock. Unknown livestock found at such
posts should be reported to the SAPS immediately.
• Livestock owners should count livestock at stock posts
himself or herself, at least once a week.

• Many court cases are lost as a result of disputes about the
proper identification of animals. If an animal is marked
with a registered brand mark or tattoo, disputes will be
avoided. Employees should properly mark their livestock,
according to the Animal Identification Act, 2002 (Act No 6
of 2002), preferably by branding them.

• Be particularly watchful when there is a full moon, over
weekends and at the end or beginning of a month, or
during periods that you know from experience, when
stock theft (slaughtering for the pot) occurs.

• Report unknown animals among your animals to the
SAPS and your neighbours immediately. The longer
the delay, the less the possibility of stolen stock being
recovered.

Cooperate with the local South African Police Service
and Stock Theft Unit, do not work against them. Please
support them in their efforts to help you.

VERY IMPORTANT:

• Count your livestock REGULARLY.
• Report ALL stock theft cases IMMEDIATELY.

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