UNION bosses issued a warning to farmers during the Anglesey Show, telling them to keep an eye out for thieves who are targeting their sheep.

NFU Cymru are concerned about the number of livestock that have been stolen from farms across the country in the past few months.

Described as a “constant problem” by NFU Cymru chairman, Elwyn Evans, he stated that it was sometimes hard for farmers to realise that their sheep had been missing in some cases, as they do not count their flocks often enough.

Mr Evans said: ”It can take a couple of days to maybe two weeks for some of us to realise that some of our sheep have gone missing.

”The worry is that you lose a sheep of a certain pedigree line that you may have been keeping going for many a year.”

NFU figures recently revealed that the number of crimes involving the theft of animals has risen in Wales over the past three months, although it has decreased slightly here in North Wales.

Mr Evans added: “All we are asking is that our farmers be vigilant and do not get complacent. It can be easy to miscount sheep so always double check and make sure that the full flock is still intact.

”Obviously if you find that some are missing, then I would urge the individuals affected to contact their rural crime team.”

At the show, NFU cymru also contributed a cheque of £200 to the Young Farmers Association as they do annually in order to help buy new equipment.