HOME Secretary Theresa May has praised a Lancashire agricultural industry-led crime initiative.

It brings farmers, auctioneers and the police together in an effort to put an end to livestock and machinery theft in the county.

Cabinet Minister Mrs May said: “What is great about the initiative is that local farmers are taking it upon themselves to educate police officers about the agricultural industry in order to help tackle rural crime.”

The Home Secretary visited National Farmers’ Union Lancashire chairman John Taylor’s Lots House Farm in Lancaster to hear about the creation of a farmer support network, which could be replicated nationwide.

NFU members in the network feed in any intelligence on agricultural crime, and are are available to attend, along with another farmer, a premises or situation where the police believe that livestock could be stolen.

They can also hold suspected stolen livestock on their farms until police arrive, if the need arises.