Pictured: Moment turkey thief strikes as irate farmer says raid on 70 of his birds has cost him £7,000

• The burglars were caught on CCTV breaking into Old Ways Farm in Dorset

This is the moment two turkey thieves made off with 70 live bronze turkeys costing a devastated farmer £7,000 in the run up to Christmas. 

The brazen burglars were caught on CCTV breaking into Old Ways Farm on the Symondsbury Estate, in Dorset at 1.30am on November 27, before entering a turkey pen to grab the festive birds. 

The thieves, who were wearing balaclavas and hoodies, were seen aggressively grabbing the birds by the neck, before carrying them one by one into a vehicle parked outside.

As well as the birds, which are worth £100 per head, the pair also made off with a plucking machine and specialist knives. It is thought they may kill and butcher the turkeys and try to sell them on the black market over the next few weeks.

Farmer Alasdair McNab said he only started farming less than a year ago and this was his first flock of turkeys, which were due to be slaughtered for Christmas.

Mr McNab said he hopes people will recognise ‘the scumbags who’ve done this’ from the CCTV image released by police

Farmer Alasdair McNab had 70 out of his 100 bronze turkeys stolen, with the brazen burglary costing the devastated farmer £7000

Mr McNab called the thieves ‘despicable scumbags’.

He said: ‘It appears someone broke in wearing balaclavas and hoodies. They made their way onto the farm and it seems they took down the pen and just loaded them by the neck onto a vehicle.

‘I am quite despondent about it and it is very frustrating.

‘I had 100 bronze turkeys, it has a big impact as they are worth £100 a head, so we have lost thousands. The birds are insured but I don’t know how much I can recoup, if any.

‘I am in the first year of farming on my own and it is a big deal going into agriculture. It is not easy, it takes a lot of time and care and (animal) welfare is huge on my list of priorities.

Mr McNab said that to see the thieves tackling the turkeys by the neck made him ‘feel that people don’t care about the animals’

Mr McNab called the turkey thieves who made off with his birds ‘despicable scumbags’

‘To see in the footage tackling the turkeys by the neck, it makes you feel that people don’t care about the animals.

‘The treatment of the birds was despicable. They will have been processed straight away I’m sure, but the thought of how it took place is the thing which makes me angry.’

He said he hopes people will recognise ‘the scumbags who’ve done this’ from the CCTV image released by police.

He added: ‘These are six months old and I have just started processing them now. Whoever has taken them has done it knowing that. The work I have put into them is all for nothing.

‘I am questioning whether I will do turkeys again next year.’

The Old Ways Farm uses regenerative farming methods and high-welfare farming to improve the land and produce free-range eggs, Christmas turkeys, bacon and sausages.

The bronze turkeys leave the brooder at eight weeks old and spend the rest of their life on pasture, much like free-range hens.

READ MORE:  Burglars steal 70 live turkeys from farm in run-up to Christmas as police warn locals to be suspicious of freshly-butchered meat offered for sale

Mr McNab keeps his birds for longer than conventional farmed turkeys so they develop the intra-muscular fat, which improves cooking and flavour.

He has reported the crime to Dorset Police but no arrests have been made yet. He is urging anyone with information about his stolen turkeys to report it to the police, and for other farmers with turkeys to be vigilant with security.

Police Constable James McClements, of Dorset police, said: ‘This burglary has had a significant impact on the victim’s business, and we are carrying out a number of enquiries to identify those involved.

‘I would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the vicinity, including unusual vehicle movements, during the early hours of November 27 to please contact us.

‘Finally, I would like to hear from anyone who has come across live or freshly butchered turkeys being offered for sale in the area in suspicious circumstances.’

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