A FARMING family is counting the cost of what they suspect to be ‘sheep rustling’ after 19 of their precious flock went missing overnight.

Cumbria Police is investigating the incident at Black Bull Farm, Millside, Witherslack, near Grange, which could mean Anthony and Christine Carter, and their son Michael losing up to £6,000 in potential earnings.

The sheep were in-lamb ewes, and their disappearance means less income at the auctions.

Mrs Carter said: “We checked all the sheep at night, and then in the morning we noticed the gate had been opened and we counted up, and there were 19 missing. We’ve looked all around, and asked our neighbours, and nobody has seen anything.

“The assessors say each ewe was worth £120 each, and they were due to lamb in March. There is potential for them to have two lambs each, and they are making £90 to £100 each at the moment. It is quite a lot for us to lose.”

The family have been at their farm, which has more than 200 breeding ewes and 90 dairy cows, since 1981 but have never had any problems until now.

There are fears that ‘sheep rustling’ could become more common in the area due to the financial pressures of the ongoing recession and the fact that farmers are limited in what they can do to prevent it happening.

NFU member and Cumbrian farmer Alistair Mackintosh said: “Hopefully this is a one off. It is always disappointing when it happens. You can’t keep a 24 hour watch on your livestock, and when you have somebody who is determined to take the animals away, there’s not much a farmer can do.”

Cumbria Police runs Farmwatch, which aims to cut down on rural crime such as ‘sheep rustling’ and deer poaching by establishing a network of farmers, landowners and residents who report any suspicious activity or incidents to the scheme.

Mr Mackintosh said he thought Farmwatch was a useful tool against the problem.

“Every little helps and it’s good that farmers are able to help one another out through this,” he added.