The Mossos d'Esquadra have filed a criminal complaint against a farmer from Alt Urgell for cattle theft, three counts of document forgery, and one count of fraud, following an investigation into the theft of three head of cattle. The investigation began in December, after a complaint from another farmer, and concluded in January with the location of the animals and confirmation that their ear tags had been tampered with.
The case coincides with a surge in thefts in the Catalan countryside, which has led farmers in Baix Segre to hire round-the-clock security. While the Mossos were resolving the theft of three cows in Alt Urgell, 6,000 kilos of cherries, valued at around 20,000 euros, disappeared in Seròs on Wednesday.
Investigation detected duplicate ear tags on a farm in Alt Urgell
Investigators attribute to the accused a system for keeping animals on the books even after they had died. Then, according to the investigation, he would replace those animals with stolen ones and send them for slaughter with tampered identification.
During the checks, the Mossos also detected suspicious requests for duplicate ear tags. This documentary trail was one of the keys to verifying the tampering with the identification of the livestock located in January.
The criminal complaint includes one count of cattle theft, three of document forgery, and one of fraud. The case originated from the disappearance of three head of cattle reported in December by another farmer.
Baix Segre reinforces security after the theft of 6,000 kilos of cherries
In parallel, the agricultural union has linked the latest incidents to a sequence that goes beyond an isolated event. Last week, a theft also occurred at the family business La Cistella in Montgai, whose owner stated that it was not an isolated incident.
In Seròs, Wednesday's raid left a local farmer without 6,000 kilos of cherries. Unió de Pagesos placed the value of the theft at around 20,000 euros.
Given this situation, farmers in Baix Segre have opted to hire permanent, round-the-clock security. This private reinforcement coexists with the sector's demands for an improved public response to thefts on agricultural farms.
Unió de Pagesos plans to ask the Department of the Interior for improved coordination between the Mossos d'Esquadra and Rural Agents. The union also wants to convey to Justice the need to establish mechanisms against recidivism in these types of crimes.
The meeting announced by Unió de Pagesos with the Department of the Interior will serve to demand this coordination between the Mossos d'Esquadra and Rural Agents, along with measures against recidivism.