Cattle theft in Germany: organised gangs target farms

Published on 09/05/2026 - 18:48 GMT+2

A husbandman from Raddusch successful the Oberspreewald-Lausitz territory reported to the constabulary connected Friday greeting that his herd of 48 cattle had been stolen from the pasture. The nonaccomplishment is estimated astatine astir 75,000 euros.

Just 14 days earlier, chartless perpetrators had stolen 74 cattle adjacent Herzberg successful the Elbe-Elster territory of Brandenburg. Lorry tracks were recovered astatine the scene.

In April, determination was a lawsuit successful Falkenberg, besides successful the Elbe-Elster district, successful which 69 calves disappeared from a breeding farm. The perpetrators seemingly utilized a distant entree roadworthy to thrust a ample lorry onto the premises, which investigators judge was astir apt a 40-tonne articulated lorry, and drove straight up to the barn door. Inside, they specifically selected pistillate calves aged betwixt 3 and six months, and yet herded 69 animals onto the lorry.

Police fishy organised groups of offenders

The theft of livestock successful Germany – sheep, cattle, geese and adjacent bee colonies – is progressively becoming a superior problem.

According to existent findings, determination has been a increasing fig of cases, peculiarly successful eastbound Germany, successful which larger herds are seemingly targeted and stolen by organised groups of offenders. Brandenburg is presently considered a peculiar hotspot.

Investigators judge that these are often professionally organised gangs. The perpetrators onslaught astatine night. To conceal the animals’ origin, receptor tags are removed oregon replaced with forged identifiers.

In immoderate cases determination are indications that sedatives are utilized truthful that the animals stay calm portion they are being loaded.

“Farm crime” is becoming an expanding load for farmers

The emergence successful agrarian transgression is present often summed up nether the word “farm crime”. In summation to livestock theft, costly cultivation machinery and GPS systems from tractors are progressively coming into criminals’ sights.

While immoderate national states specified arsenic Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are signaling rising numbers of cases, different regions specified arsenic Schleswig-Holstein person precocious reported a flimsy diminution – albeit from a precocious level. In November past year, NDR broadcast a study entitled “Tatort Bauernhof: Diebstahl auf dem Land” (“Crime country farm: theft successful the countryside”). It stated that good implicit fractional of farmers successful bluish Germany had been affected by theft, with not lone animals but besides harvests and cultivation machinery being stolen.

Farmers unsettled

Many farms are present responding with further information measures. These see video surveillance, amended lighting of barns and integer informing networks among farmers, for illustration via determination WhatsApp groups. The purpose is to stock suspicious observations much rapidly and to forestall thefts arsenic aboriginal arsenic possible.

Because livestock successful Germany is centrally registered, the constabulary fishy that galore of the stolen animals are taken to Eastern European countries oregon to states extracurricular the EU. In principle, carnal transports indispensable beryllium checked erstwhile crossing borders. It is imaginable that the animals are smuggled crossed the borderline successful closed lorries that are not licensed for livestock transport.

In fact, according to the national authorities determination is nary authoritative statistical grounds of each cases and transgression scenes relating to the theft of workplace animals. The crushed is that, due to the fact that animals are legally regarded arsenic “property” successful Germany, specified offences are recorded successful transgression statistic nether theft of “objects”.