Livestock rustling is a booming business in the United Kingdom, costing farmers more than £6 million ($7.8 million U.S.) a year. In 2015, about 85,000 animals were stolen from UK farms, according to the latest figures available from NFU Mutual, the country’s leading farm insurer—and that doesn’t take into account farmers who don’t report farm thefts for fear of their insurance premiums going up. Now, a new high-tech method of tracking stolen sheep that would make CSI proud is about to be field-tested in England. 
 
 The stolen animals are sometimes slaughtered in unsanitary conditions by underground butchers and sold to unsuspecting customers, or they could end up in another flock owned by a thieving rancher. 
 
 Sheep are especially high on the list of targets, and the usual method of keeping track of the animals, which involves tagging their ears, is far from foolproof—the plastic tags are easily snipped off. Paint branding—spraying the animal on the back or side with semi-permanent paint—is another option, but also not a sure-fire preventative. 
 
 That’s why a new way of marking sheep is coming to the fore. Think of it as a biological branding technique, which can’t be altered or removed by thieves: A liquid containing a unique DNA code is applied topically to whatever you want to protect—sheep, in this case. It can’t be detected by the naked eye, is non-toxic, and can last up to five years. If needed, law enforcement officials can use an ultra violet lighting device to detect the presence of the product, and cross-reference it with a database to determine to whom the sheep belong. While this type of technology has been around for more than a decade, this is the first time it’s been used on livestock. 
 
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 A 12-month pilot program in Cumbria, a rural county in England’s Lake District, between the local police and SelectDNA, the company behind the technology, is just getting underway. Participating farmers are given a kit that can be used to mark up to 100 sheep and will get continuing support during the course of the project, according to Eden Police Community Support Officer Karen Dakin. 
 
 “Notices around the farm will hopefully deter thieves, but where livestock are stolen, the markings will allow us to trace animals back to the farm. We will also be able to do spot checks, including at places like auction marts,” she said. 
 
 A crime reduction program in Manchester, England, that used the same technology to mark people’s property cut burglary by 83 percent, according to the company. Hopefully, the program can make a dent in livestock crime, as well. In the U.S., where cattle rustling has seen a resurgence in the last few years, the technology could come in handy to help stop an old-fashioned crime using a cutting-edge process. ||||| A NEW scheme has been launched that will see farmers working with police to tackle sheep theft. 
 
 Cumbria Police officers are working with farmers to launch a forensic marking scheme that will see a traceable solution – supplied by SelectaDNA – applied to livestock. 
 
 It is hoped to be a preventative tool, as well as meaning that in the event of animals being stolen, they can easily be traced back to the farm. 
 
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 A number of farms in Cumbria have been identified to take part in what will be a 12-month pilot scheme. 
 
 Each kit will allow up to 100 animals to be covertly tagged – a process that will be carried out by farmers and police officers. 
 
 Eden PCSO Karen Dakin said: "Livestock theft is an issue in Cumbria and so I am pleased that we are taking part in this pilot scheme. 
 
 "We will be helping the farmers to mark their animals, deploy the warning signs and continue to support them for the first 12 months of the project. 
 
 "Notices around the farm will hopefully deter thieves, but where livestock are stolen, the markings will allow us to trace animals back to the farm. We will also be able to do spot checks, including at places like auction marts. 
 
 "We continually work with partners to prevent rural theft and this is another example of the positive proactive work we do." 
 
 James Brown, Managing Director of SelectaDNA, said: "Use of SelectaDNA throughout the UK and Europe during the last 12 years has resulted in dramatic reductions in all types of acquisitive crime. 
 
 "However, this is the first time it has been used to combat theft of livestock. 
 
 "This type of crime, as well as being extremely upsetting for owners, costs insurers and farmers millions of pounds each year. 
 
 "We already help many rural communities by preventing theft of tractors, quad bikes and other valuable equipment with our DNA marking, and we now want to work with farmers, Police and insurers to put an end to livestock theft."
– Police in England are hoping cutting-edge technology can help deter crime in the country's most pastoral regions. The Westmorland Gazette reports that police in Cumbria in England's Lake District have kicked off a 12-month pilot program with local farmers and forensic marking company SelectaDNA to help prevent sheep theft. SelectaDNA's system involves applying a liquid solution with a unique DNA code to the sheep. The solution can't be detected by the naked eye, but police can use an ultraviolet light to cross-check it with a database to determine if a sheep has been stolen, Modern Farmer reports. On each participating farm, up to 100 sheep can be tagged with the SelectaDNA solution. Signs announcing participation in the program will be placed around each farm as an additional deterrent. Officials also hope the solution will help trace and retrieve sheep if they do get stolen. Livestock rustling has become a big problem in England. In 2014, more than 88,000 farm animals were stolen in the UK, at a cost of about $8.6 million. The SelectaDNA tracing technology is more than a decade old, but this is the first time it's being tested on livestock. The company claims a similar pilot program marking and tracking property in Manchester resulted in a 83% reduction in burglaries, per Modern Farmer.