A farmer who stole hundreds of sheep from livestock markets across England has been jailed following a multi-force investigation involving North Yorkshire Police.
Peter Parker, aged 60, of The Clays, Brant Broughton, Lincolnshire, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Nottingham Crown Court.
The court heard how Parker carried out a series of organised livestock thefts over a seven-year period between 2016 and 2023, targeting markets including Newark Livestock Market, Hereford Livestock Market and Penrith and District Farmers Mart.
His offending first came to wider attention following an incident in March 2020, when North Yorkshire Police officers stopped a lorry at Wetherby Services which was found to be full of sheep.
The vehicle and animals were seized, prompting further enquiries and information-sharing between police forces and trading standards teams across the country.
These enquiries revealed Parker had been travelling to markets late at night with lower-value sheep, before swapping them for higher-value animals or, in some cases, stealing sheep outright.
In total, he was responsible for stealing:
• Almost 650 sheep from Newark Livestock Market in summer 2017 alone, worth at least £23,000
• A further 50 sheep from Penrith Market
• 23 sheep from Hereford Market
The court also heard Parker committed some of these offences while on bail.
In addition to the thefts, Parker admitted two offences relating to failing to notify authorities of cattle movements and deaths.
He was also found guilty of further offences relating to failures in properly identifying sheep and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
The investigation was led jointly by Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards, with support from North Yorkshire Police, West Mercia Police, Cumbria Police and the National Rural Crime Unit.
The offences had a significant impact on farmers, livestock markets and the wider agricultural industry, undermining trust and posing risks to animal welfare and disease control.
