Using DNA Sampling to Deter Stock Thieves

South Africa’s livestock farmers need every bit of help they can get to counter stock theft, which has reached unprecedented heights. One weapon in the fight is genetic profiling. Susan Marais explores how this technology, which establishes livestock lineage, can help protect a farmer’s assets and bring thieves to book.

- By Susan Marais

In a world that sees high-tech money laundering and cyberattacks, one scourge has remained unchanged since ancient times: stock theft.The crime has certainly kept up with inflation, though. The Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) has calculated that stock theft in South Africa last year cost farmers R1,4 billion.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), 26 036 sheep, 16 379 goats, 15 977 head of cattle, 4 956 chickens, 695 pigs, 323 horses, 148 game animals, 61 donkeys and 35 ostriches were stolen between October and December 2021. And this appears to be just the tip of the iceberg. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) estimates that more than 70% of all livestock thefts are not reported! With these figures, it is easy to understand why Dr Witness Maluleke, a senior lecturer at the University of Limpopo’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said in a research paper that stock theft had the ability to cripple resource-poor livestock farmers, as well as cause distress.

“The impact of livestock theft is mainly economic, but the emotional impact on the victims cannot be ignored,” Maluleke wrote in the International Journal of Business and Management Studies. “The crime affects the business enterprises of livestock producers, irrespective of whether they are commercial farmers or small-scale farmers, and it is the largest obstacle to sustainable livestock production and food security.” In short, farmers need all the help they can get to combat livestock theft. This is where DNA sampling comes in.