Cost of rural crime hits £1.4m after 14% rise in 2025, report reveals

The increased cost of rural crime in Scotland contrasts with the UK-wide figures published in NFU Mutual’s new report, which reveals that rural crime cost the UK an estimated £41.5m in 2025, down from £44.1m the previous year.  

 

Criminals continued to target high value farming equipment and stock throughout the UK in 2025, with the cost of agricultural vehicle, quad bike, and livestock theft all increasing last year.

 

Scotland also saw a rise in the cost of agricultural vehicle theft, with a high number of quad bikes being stolen.

 

Given the difficult terrain many Scottish farmers face and the importance of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) or quad bikes to Scottish upland farmers and the difficult terrain in which they operate, the loss of these vehicles can have a significant impact on farm operations.

 

Scottish farmers also contended with a spike in livestock theft, with costs more than doubling when compared to 2024.

 

Although it dates back centuries, this crime has become highly organised. Rearing livestock is a long-term investment of time, planning and labour, which is why the theft of farm animals can be traumatic for farmers and their families, both financially and emotionally.

 

Rural crime has become increasingly organised in recent years, and the industry and law enforcement has responded by becoming more organised. One sign of this working is the fact that the theft of Global Positioning System (GPS) units saw a dramatic fall in cost across the UK, down 80% year-on-year to nearly £250,000. 

 

Hannah Binns, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual, added: “Rural crime is more organised than ever, with criminals prepared to go to extreme lengths, and 2025 proved no exception.

 

“Targeted investment in rural crime fighting initiatives and industry collaboration with law enforcement is essential in responding to this relatively new threat, and it is helping drive down crime in many areas.

 

"However, the increased cost of rural crime to Scottish farmers shows that we cannot afford to be complacent, and that organised criminals will continue to find new ways to target farmers.

 

“The impact of rural crime extends beyond financial loss, undermining trust and connection, often leaving a trauma that can remain with farmers, their families and wider communities for a lifetime.

 

“It is also highly disruptive to farm activity, even when insurance helps to secure timely replacements. The spike in the cost of quad bike theft in Scotland will be keenly felt in a region where more than half of the agricultural land is upland farms, and it is hard to quantify the impact of reduced mobility around the farm, no matter how brief.

 

“It’s vital that we continue to be vigilant against rural crime, and the general UK-wide trend of the past few years shows that a collaborative response between Government, police, farmers, rural communities, insurers, and manufacturers can tackle rural crime.

 

“But as the rise in Scotland shows, fighting rural crime is not straightforward, and so we will continue to do all we can to help disrupt the criminals who prey on countryside communities.

 

“Only a coordinated effort across industry, farming and law enforcement can deliver a unified response to rural crime. United, we can tackle it head on.”

 

A survey of 119 NFU Mutual Agents across the UK found that rural crime was having wide-reaching impacts. More than nine in 10 (91%) believed rural crime was disrupting farming in their area, and 79% knew farmers who had been targeted repeatedly.

 

Alarmingly, it added, 29% had seen farmers change practices or leave the industry altogether due to rural crime. And 90% believed their rural crime teams in their local areas needed more funding.