Julia Peterson
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
A Saskatchewan farmer in the market for cattle thought a deal he’d been offered was just a little too good to be true — so he asked a livestock inspector about it.
That started a chain of events resulting in the arrest of a 34-year-old man charged with stealing 14 calves from a farm in the RM of Silverwood on southwest Saskatchewan.
“In this situation, we’re very fortunate that someone came forward because something didn’t quite add up,” said RCMP Cpl. Owen Third, one of four RCMP officers in Canada who specialize in livestock investigations.
Once Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS) was alerted to the potentially suspicious transaction, its staff started working with Third and the Moosomin RCMP on the case.
The investigation determined the thefts happened in three different incidents spanning a period of months, beginning in April and ending in June.
“At the time, the owner — and victim, in this case — was not aware that anything was going on,” said Third. “It wasn’t until June when things came to light. … It wasn’t a case of someone sneaking in, or that sort of thing. The person charged in this particular incident was known by the owner.”
The alleged thief is due in court in August, facing three counts of cattle theft, three counts of possessing property obtained by crime worth more than $5,000, and three counts of trafficking property obtained by crime worth more than $5,000.
Seven of the 14 stolen calves have been recovered and returned. Some of the remaining seven were already sold, and the rest are safe on another farm, RCMP said.
“We know where they are, and the person that’s in possession of those is not allowed to sell them,” said Third. “LSS has just detained them until we can figure out exactly what’s going on.”
Third said these kinds of thefts are a growing concern in Saskatchewan and across Canada, and advised people to reach out to him, their local RCMP detachment or LSS if something about a livestock sale or purchase doesn’t seem right.
“If it’s too good to be true, you should maybe ask a few more questions,” he said. “With the rising cost of livestock, it’s keeping producers on their toes and it’s keeping us somewhat busy.”
