To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his assessment is of the cost to farmers of livestock rustling in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 to date; and if he will make a statement. (281894)

Comprehensive figures on livestock rustling are not held centrally therefore we have made no assessment of the cost incurred to farmers. Such offences would come under Home Office classification 49 'Other theft or unauthorised taking' and cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded under that classification.

However, the Cattle Tracing System shows the following numbers of cattle have been reported to British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) as stolen: