Luxton JoJO LUXTON (Labour): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I'm really delighted to take a call on this bill the Sentencing (Livestock Rustling) Amendment Bill. I too want to thank Ian McKelvie for bringing this bill to the House and commend him for it.This is something that's had quite an impact on the people in Rangitata the electorate where I live. I'm also really looking forward to having this bill come before the Primary Production Committee.People out there may not be aware and I certainly wasn't until I looked into it further but the issue of livestock rustling costs the farming community around $120 million per year. As the Hon Nathan Guy alluded to earlier that probably really is just the tip of the iceberg because so many do not report or as Mark Patterson alluded to as well some people aren't always even aware that stock has been taken.This bill is a small and uncomplicated bill but one that I think is really quite necessary given the fact that we are seeing an increased rise in the cases of cattle rustling. This type of activity not only poses a threat to farming businesses but potentially puts innocent people's lives at risk. The purpose of this bill is to further deter people from undertaking the illegal activity of livestock rustling. The way that the bill does this is by identifying livestock rustling as an aggravating factor at sentencing. For the purposes of this bill livestock has been defined as animals kept as part of an agricultural operation whether for commercial purposes or for private use." It is good to see that this bill not only covers large farming operations but will also benefit small-time farming operations or those who perhaps have lifestyle blocks with a few animals.I want to tell a story of a young farmer I know called John Totty from Staveley in mid-Canterbury who recently bought and took over his family farm which is a huge undertaking in itself and also an expensive one. John had 14 calves stolen at an approximate value of $10000. Now some people might think that 14 calves is not that much but the loss of these 14 calves had big implications. It was a real kick in the guts for a young man trying to make a real go of it.These calves were Jersey calves which are less common in the South Island and they had a high breeding worth through AI and were actually replacement heifers—that is replacement stock for breeding the following year. To replace these is no easy feat. John would have quite likely had to pay double the cost of his loss if he was to buy in-calf heifers to replace his loss. I'm not sure if many people realise that trying to insure stock for theft and death is hugely expensive and we all know that it is a reality that farmers have stock die for various reasons. The more that die the more claims you make your insurance premiums will go up therefore making it unviable to insure. Some insurance companies will only insure animals that are housed which isn't really that practical.Because these were Jersey calves he had to buy replacements from the North Island. Friesian cows are the common breed used in the South Island for dairying not Jersey. So this ended up costing John far more than rearing his own replacement stock on the farm.But it's not only the financial impact. It is the psychological impact. A farm is often large and open or remote and neighbours aren't close by. It's scary to know that someone has been wandering around your property possibly armed with a weapon. I would find this really frightening and I know people must surely be left feeling quite violated. We are supposed to feel safe in our homes.The other thing to think about is that cattle rustling is most likely premeditated. As mentioned by the Hon David Bennett this is not a crime by chance. A perpetrator would have scoped out the property to know what livestock was there and how to get to it. Possibly it's even someone that knows the farm or property.I am happy to commend this bill to the House to ensure that hard-working people like John can have the confidence that there is an additional deterrent in place to discourage livestock rustling. So I commend this bill to the House."