Flock of Merino sheep stolen from NSW central west

A flock of 120 sheep are believed to have been stolen from a property in the NSW central west over the course of more than a year.

The Merino ewes were reported to have gone missing from Leadville, about 100km east of Dubbo, between April last year and September 2026.

The sheep are of mixed age and were in full wool at the time of their disappearance.

They are earmarked with a capital “M” in the centre of the ear.

Some may also have an age-mark notch cut from the top of the opposite ear, ranging from no age mark to three notches.

Rural crime investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward.

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Merino ewes are worth between $250 and $380 per head at auction, depending on their age and wool quality.

Earlier this year, 5500 sheep were stolen from a property near Blackall in Queensland’s central west.

The scale of livestock theft in Australia is hard to measure, mostly due to the remote geography where it occurs.

According to Kyle J.D. Mulrooney, an associate professor in criminology at the University of New England, livestock on large properties may not be monitored for weeks at a time, making it hard for an owner to say exactly when a theft occurred.

The honest answer is that we cannot say with confidence [whether farm crime is increasing],” he wrote in an article for The Conversation.

“Australia has no consistent national data set tracking stock theft over time and police figures include only offences that are reported and recorded…

“This leaves farm crime under counted in official statistics and less visible in decisions about police resourcing, specialist officers and prevention funding.”

Crime mitigation measures like secure gates, lighting and security cameras cannot realistically be installed across thousands of hectares meaning evidence of theft is often limited.