Farming is not for the faint of heart. As if dealing with climate change, low producer prices, increasing input costs, and a weak economy were not enough, farmers of all sizes must also deal with the theft of any saleable assets on their farms.

Accurate and up-to-date statistics are scarce. South African Police Service (SAPS) statistics on stock theft for 2023/24 were provided to Dr Jane Buys, safety and risk analyst at Free State Agriculture. With conservative estimates applied to these statistics, Table 1 reflects the number of animals stolen during this period.

No insurance, no report

It is important to note that only reported cases form part of these statistics. According to the 2023/24 Victims of Crime report released by Statistics South Africa in August 2024, a mere 44% of crime victims reported incidents to the police. This statistic is relevant to household robberies in urban areas.

Many of these incidents are only reported because of insurance requirements. Livestock insurance is very costly, and insurance for crop theft does not exist. A comprehensive agricultural crime survey commissioned by AgriSA in 2018 found that only 25% of farmers affected by crime in 2017 reported it to the police.

The effort of reporting the crime is not worth the benefit, and successful arrests and prosecutions are few and far between.

However, since the statistics only come from reported cases, farmers must be vigilant in reporting the crime. This way, a better case can be made to regulatory authorities.

If the values of stolen livestock shown in the table are increased by 30% to account for unreported cases and recovered animals, the estimated value of stolen animals will be R1,3 billion. The loss experienced is also not once-off.

The loss of the future value of progeny is an enormous setback for any farmer. For example, a cow aged five years can still produce an average of five calves in the rest of her lifetime. Calculated at a conservative value of R6 000 per calf, this is another R30 000 lost by the farmer for each cow stolen.

Types of crime

Crime experienced by farmers includes arson, malicious damage to property, theft of any removable item, and illegal grazing and trespassing.

A survey conducted in 2021 by South African crime expert Willie Clack among 730 farmers found that 86% of them had been exposed to property theft, with livestock and non-mechanised equipment at the top of the list (Clack, 2022).

The remoteness of farms makes them an easy target for thieves, and police reaction is often slow or non-existent due to vehicle constraints. Livestock theft can range from slaughtering for private consumption to syndicate level.

The same AgriSA study mentioned previously reported the number of farmers affected by crime in each province in 2017 (see Table 2). The figure is likely to be even higher now.

How do farmers respond to the situation? They become reliant on providing their own security measures. The cost is exorbitant, and only farmers who can afford it can implement it.

For example, a camera system that allows a farmer to monitor their sheds, camps, and passing roads can range from R50 000 to R500 000, depending on the scale and sophistication of the system. The cost and time of monitoring these cameras are also allocated to the farmer, although entire communities benefit from them.

Electric fencing, alarm systems, and security companies are standard expenses in most farmers’ operations. But, once again, it is only available to those who can afford it, diverting funds that could otherwise be put towards improving production. Those who can’t afford it must bear the brunt of becoming an easy target for thieves.

Negative effect on farmers

Some farmers eventually give up trying to farm an easily targeted commodity. Sheep farming has stopped in some areas. The cost-benefit analysis shows that it is simply not worth the effort.

Kraaling sheep at night to protect them from thieves is not ideal for the animals: footrot and other diseases breed in camps, rendering animals that usually graze at night unable to do so, and thereby influencing productivity.

The long-term result of farm theft includes emotional upset and distrust. If farmworkers are found to have collaborated with crime syndicates to orchestrate a robbery, the breach of trust is irreparable, leaving lasting damage to the relationship between the farmer and workers.

Not only do farmers lose the value of their livestock and the latter’s possible future offspring, they must also pay security companies and install cameras at every possible section of land/road that thieves can access.

This is in addition to the emotional trauma that comes with the crime. In many areas, thieves mutilate animals and leave them to die a slow, painful death.

The same can be said for grain, fruit, and horticultural producers. Protecting the enterprise and trying to secure an income has become number one on the priority list. Across the country, fruit orchards enclosed with electric fences have become the norm.

Grain farmers in crime hotspot areas have stopped planting crops like maize, which is an easy target for thieves. A shortage of staple food items could eventually develop if the situation continues.

Reasons for the high rate of farm crime

Several factors contribute to the crime rate in a country. With one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, South Africa has seen a steady rise in farm-related crime. People who don’t have jobs don’t have incomes to buy food, leading to an increase in theft, either for personal use or for sale to earn an income.

A study conducted in KwaZulu-Natal among unemployed respondents, crime experts, and prisoners in 2003, found that unemployment significantly contributed to the high crime rate in South Africa (Tshabalala, 2003).

In addition, low levels of education exacerbated unemployment and indirectly influenced the crime rate. The study also found that the minimum wage legislation contributed to the high crime rate because employers were unable to afford to employ more workers. Many global studies reiterate the positive relationship between unemployment and crime rates.

Livestock traceability

The traceability of animals has received renewed focus due to the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. The impact of this disease is far-reaching. Affected areas are quarantined, and the sale of animals is prohibited without veterinary confirmation that a herd is disease-free. Infected animals have to be slaughtered at licensed abattoirs.

Once again, the loss is not only the direct cost of the animal but also the future progeny and replacement value. The economic impact is vast, and it affects international trade.

An efficient traceability system that is enforced nationally will assist not only in eradicating FMD but also curbing livestock theft. Ideally, government must implement the system, but previous efforts to encourage its implementation have failed.

There is a lack of clarity among the many different organisations in the livestock industry on whose responsibility it is. This has wasted a lot of time, and a few have started to implement their own systems.

A single national system would be ideal. What is encouraging is that Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has emphasised the importance of a national traceability system to ensure biosecurity, and has appointed different task teams to investigate and provide recommendations.

The same traceability system can assist in identifying animals at abattoirs or auctions.

The role that farmers play in rural areas reaches far beyond mere food production. They employ rural people, which is desperately needed; they keep the rural economy alive by supplying the entire agricultural value chain and sustaining rural agribusinesses; and they frequently contribute to welfare projects in their closest towns.

The pressure that farmers are experiencing due to an unstable climate and a weak economy justifies any type of support from government. Curbing theft on farms through efficient policing services and a national traceability system would truly make a difference throughout the entire value chain.

Sources: AgriSA. 2018. ‘National agricultural sector crime survey’. Bureau of Market Research, University of South Africa; Clack, W. 2022. ‘Rural Crimes and Police Legitimacy in South Africa’. Rural Safety Summit, 2022, South African Policy Service; Statistics South Africa. 2024. ‘P0341 Victims of Crime. Governance, public safety, and justice survey’. Statistics South Africa, Pretoria; Tshabalala, NG. 2003. ‘A sociological investigation into the effects of unemployment on the rate of crime in South Africa, with specific reference to the province of KwaZulu-Natal”. Doctoral dissertation, University of Zululand.

Email Dr Lindie von Maltitz at [email protected].