Sheep rustlers have targeted farms in the Stewartry and stolen in-lamb ewes worth thousands of pounds.
Nicola and Paul Sanderson of Upper Senwick Farm near Borgue have been left “devastated” at the theft of 56 of their flock.
“The last time we scanned them they were coming in at 200 per cent which means an average of two lambs per ewe,” Nicola said.
“It’s hard to say what lambs will sell for in the future but at the moment a good, fat lamb is going for upwards of £100 at market.”
The couple believe the sheep from Upper Senwick were taken some time in the last two weeks.
But they only discovered on Friday that they were missing.
Nicola has hit back at comments left by people on social media criticising the pair after a police appeal said the animals were taken sometime between December – the last time they had been counted – and Friday.
The Sanderson’s think the thieves targeted their flock due to the nature of the remote, hilly landscape, which can make it difficult to notice the animals have gone.
The ewes that taken had no markings or tags to identify the farm they had come from. Instead, their ear tags were from different farms from when they were bought at market.
In a second theft, rustlers hit a farm in the Parton area and robbed 25 in-lamb mule ewes.
The theft happened on the evening of Monday, February 3. The farmer noticed the animals were gone following a check the next morning.
The sheep had a red mark on their heads and either a green or red tupping mark.
NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick, who farms at Barnbackle near Lochfoot, has warned farmers to be on their guard. He added: “Farmers should be alert for any unusual activity and also watch their neighbours property, as well as their own.
“If they see anything suspicious, even if nothing is taken, then they should contact the police.”
“The sheep will have a fair value, especially if they were in lamb.”
Sergeant Colin Scott at Castle Douglas described the double theft as “quite unusual”.
