The amount of illegal lamb’s meat entering the food chain has soared by as much as 250% this year - amid reports that door-to-door salesmen are peddling boxes of black-market meat to households and suppliers.

The Welsh Food Fraud Co-ordination Unit said it was investigating more cases of illegal meat sales than ever before. The cases ranged from illegal slaughtering to door-to-door salesmen offering boxes of meat to households, said manager Rob Phillips.

The investigations come as rural insurer NFU Mutual said it had received claims for more than 60,000 stolen sheep by the end of October - two-and-a-half times more than last year. It had also noticed a rise in cattle, pig and game thefts. The total loss reported by the industry has doubled to more than £5m - and that’s only the farmers with insurance.

“We’re concerned we could see further increases in crime as thieves see opportunities to steal livestock for the Christmas market,” an NFU Mutual rural affairs spokesman warned.

The rise in livestock theft comes as meat prices soar across the board, but none has increased more than lamb. Last week, the price per kilo was 393.6p, 59% more than in 2008 [AHDB].

Very few stolen animals are recovered dead or alive, with the vast majority entering the food chain through unregulated channels.

“It’s a big concern that stock may be slaughtered, butchered and stored in unhygienic conditions, putting the livestock industry at risk and spreading disease,” the NFU Mutual spokesman added.

Anthony Sturge, who runs a catering business and farmers market stall from his Brighton base, said he had been approached three times by a man who offered to sell him a whole lamb for £55, well below the market rate, without a receipt.

“I personally haven’t taken any because I need full traceability for my products, but I can see that if someone knocked on your door and offered it, you’re not going to ask questions,” he said.

“The price of everything has gone up horrifically,” Sturge added. “People are losing their jobs and turning to any which way to make money and others in the trade are willing to cut corners and break the law to keep themselves afloat.”

There was a close correlation between commodity prices and theft levels, said NFU Mutual. “In recent years we have seen thefts of metal rocket when scrap prices are high, thefts of diesel increase in line with oil price increases,” it said. “Now the same thing is happening with livestock.”

Rustling reports are also becoming more gruesome. In August, NFU Mutual received its first report of sheep being shot in a field, putting the lives of the farmer and members of the public at risk. There have also been several cases where thieves slaughtered and butchered the animals in the field, leaving just the skin and entrails behind.

In September, more than 1,400 sheep were stolen from a farm near Louth, Lincolnshire - the biggest single incident in 25 years.

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