5,500 sheep were stolen from a remote farm. But most farm crime remains hidden

JohnCarnemolla/Getty It is hard to imagine 5,500 sheep going missing .

Yet, police believe this many ewes and rams, worth an estimated A$1.7 million , were stolen from a property near Blackall in central west Queensland between February and May.

At this scale, it is easy to picture a highly organised operation.

But it would be unwise to jump to any conclusions while police carry out their investigations.

While the alleged theft of valuable Dorper sheep from near Blackall is exceptional in scale, it is not an isolated example.

Understanding these thefts means looking beyond the farm gate to why so much farm crime remains hidden and what police and technology can realistically change.

From small thefts to the whole flock Recently, our team at the Centre for Rural Criminology undertook a National Farm Crime Survey, the first study of its kind in 20 years.

We found across Australia, the sophistication and coordination of stock theft varies.

At one end of the scale are smaller thefts by people with local access – such as a neighbour, employee or contractor.

At the other are sophisticated thefts involving several people, trucks, machinery, tools and hundreds or even thousands of animals.

In 2025, a farmer at Lexton in western Victoria reported more than 1,700 sheep stolen across three incidents in two years.

Police described the thefts as “carefully coordinated”.

Read more: As livestock theft becomes a growing problem in rural Australia, new technologies offer hope Fewer ‘eyes in the paddock’ Rural and remote environments shape both the opportunity to commit stock theft and the capacity to respond.

Our research with rural police in Australia, France and the United Kingdom found geography, isolation and limited resources all affect police engagement with rural communities.