A leading Fife farmer has warned that the spate of tractor thefts in the area by organised criminal gangs has the potential to escalate into a “danger to life and limb”.
Stuart Milne from Aberdour, the chairman of NFU Scotland’s West Fife and Kinross branch, has seen three neighbouring farmers lose valuable tractors and other equipment to thieves and says the industry is now concerned not just about large financial losses but the risks of on-farm violence.
“Fife has become the rural crime capital of Scotland and it’s a big worry that a farmer could find two or three people in the yard at 2am-3am,” he said.
“No farmer is going to let anyone just walk away with a tractor, but that confrontation is not going to end well.”
“The financial loss is one thing but we’re now worried about the dangers to life and limb.”
Mr Milne believes organised criminals are targeting the area with the help of local intelligence.
“It’s easy to get on to the motorway before anyone is aware of what has happened,” he said.
“But some of the farms that have been targeted are remote and isolated so we are sure the gangs have someone embedded on the periphery of the farming community who is providing intelligence; and clearly the thieves have international connections because these tractors are never heard of again.”
The most recent theft of three tractors took place when criminals allegedly parked an articulated lorry on the old West Fife showground.
They stole two tractors from one farm and one from a second unit before loading them on the lorry and driving away.
Mr Milne said: “The latest tractors are all worth at least £80,000 but most can be unlocked by a common key.”